


How to Make Muffins

by cocojellykellybean



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Undertale Characters reaching the surface, W.D. Gaster Hinted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:17:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 97,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5024479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cocojellykellybean/pseuds/cocojellykellybean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A narrative about a developing relationship between Sans and Frisk (Reader) after the True Pacifist playthrough. Explores the surface, the new civilization built there, the humans who inhabit it and the consequences of resetting.<br/>Oh and sometimes there are muffins.<br/>But if you're here for the muffins....you might be disappointed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Does He?

         As you walk the thin ice path between Waterfall and Snowdin in the freezing weather you can’t help but kick yourself for not leaving Undyne’s earlier. She had promised the cooking lessons would only last an hour or two but you ended up staying there for over 5 hours.

  
A fresh snap of wind bit at your skin and you were reminded of the current dilemma. You had heard off hand that a horrible snowstorm was coming through. The physics of that seemed a little odd to you – since they were underground and all, but there was much about this land of magic and mystery that you had yet to fully comprehend. Swearing under your breath you kept on, passing by Sans and Papyrus’ house – jealous of the warmth and the light that glowed from within. As you reached the library the wind was at full force now, whipping the hood from your jacket back and tugging fiercely at your scarf. Your eyes were stinging and you could feel them tearing up from the pressure. You looked back at the skeleton brothers’ house for a moment and felt a twinge of longing, you could even see Sans and Papyrus just sitting on the couch watching a re-run of some Mettaton program.

  
        Their simple domestic bliss fills you with determination

.  
Turning back to face the storm you gasp and stumble backwards into the snow. Sans was suddenly standing directly in front of you with his standard smile. For a moment you panic, having just seen him in the house but you dismiss this. Sans has a lot of secrets, and his ability to be in two places at once is one you’re familiar with….it just still took some getting used to.  
“Hey Frisk – there is snow way I’m letting you walk back home in this weather.” He gives you a big wink and extends his hand. Groaning at the pun and also from your pants being soaked in the snow, you accept the gesture. Unfortunately his hands were freezing, and it was more like grasping at icicles. You involuntarily yank your hand away and notice Sans’ face fall a little bit.

  
“Right. Sorry bout that.” He apologizes, looking to the side. He guides you back to his house and upon opening the door, a rush of warm air floods you with relief. Then immediately the smell of burnt pasta assaults your senses and you choke a little.  
“HUMAN!” Papyrus shouts excitedly, “YOU HAVE NO DOUBT COME TO CONSUME MY LATEST PASTA INNOVATION!” Sans winks at you as he takes your coat off for you. A little shaken from the weather you ask to borrow a change of clothes, Papyrus lends you his hotpants, which are loose on you for some reason….you find yourself a little bummed at that. Sans offers you a t-shirt and one of his jackets. After assuring Papyrus that you didn’t need his cape and allowing Sans to make a few superhero puns, you take the clothes and change upstairs in Papyrus’ room. After getting out of your freezing and wet clothes you feel a little bit better, but you’re a little uneasy about staying the night here. Giving yourself a moment to think, you sit down on the racecar bed and stick your hands in the pockets of Sans’ jacket. You found yourself feeling differently about Sans lately. And his persistence to be around you was not helping these feelings. Spending the night at his house? The thought seemed so appealing in a number of ways – but you were apprehensive. At least Papyrus was there to break any tension.

  
Opening the door you immediately notice Sans had been watching it. He turns away quickly back at the TV. Papyrus wasn’t on the couch anymore.  
“DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! I HAVE NOT LEFT YOU ALONE WITH THE SAVAGE, I AM MERELY IN THE KITCHEN.” Ah. Another puzzle solved. As you walk tenderly down the stairs Sans invites you to watch the end of some reruns with him. You sat down nervously on the couch. What was wrong with you? You’d been friends with Sans for years, why were you suddenly so concerned and aware at how much space there was between you and him?

  
Laughing at some of Mettaton’s foolishness helped ease some of the tension, but it seemed Sans was all too aware of it as well. His eyes kept flicking between the TV and you. You could tell out the corner of your eye that he was watching you carefully.  
“So why were you out so late in such a storm? Were you just hoping I’d stop by and rescue you or were you actually planning to walk all that way?” You laughed and pushed him away. He chuckled. You felt a little better. “I lost track of time.” You said plainly, easing back into the couch, feeling a little bit more relaxed. “Mhm. Sure ya did.” He said knowingly, changing the channel to watch some old human Halloween movies. Papyrus finished the apparent second round of dinner, thankfully this time a little less burnt than the last and sat down to watch the movies with you both. Being with them was easy and fun, they made you feel so at peace – as if you didn’t have to be anyone or do anything – you could just exist and be happy. And you were happy.

  
As it got later in the night Papyrus got tired and “REQUIRED HIS BEDTIME STORY, PLEASE!” Sans threw out a few skeleton puns before Papyrus groaned and eventually Sans indulged him. You watched the storm as you let the brothers have their moment. It had gotten up to your hips in snow – the door was therefore moderately blocked and the winds were howling so fiercely that you could hear it smacking across the house.

  
“You’re gonna be stuck here for at least another day.” Sans said abruptly as he walked down the stairs, hands casually in his pockets. “Luckily we have LOTS of spaghetti.” He then promptly flopped down on the couch. You laugh and turn away from the storm, pulling the jacket close around you. “Hey where am I supposed to sit?” He shrugs and turns his face into the couch. Reaching through his jacket you tickle his rib bones and Sans gives a surprised laugh and jolts up. “Wow….playing dirty?”

  
“Not any dirtier than you. Don’t you have a whole bed to yourself upstairs? Why are you falling asleep on the couch?” He shrugged and moved so you could sit next to him. It was really close. You could feel his shoulder briefly rub against you and your knees touch momentarily. He was…..warm?  
“There’s a lot of advantages to the couch.” He said suggestively, and for the first time turning from the tv and staring at you directly. The small lights in his eyes focused on you made you a little nervous – and excited. Your new feelings bubbling inside your chest filled you with determination. There was something immensely intimidating about Sans. Something told you he had a lot more power to him than he let on.

  
“Oh yeah?” You respond, albeit a little shakier than you intended. “What’s that?” He smirked and pulled away from your gaze to watch the scene from the movie for a minute. You got the sense he was just buying time. After a few moments he responded, still looking straight ahead at the television.  
“Eh, the kitchens right there. So is the door – whenever I need anything I can just get it without doors or stairs.” You laugh and shake your head as you get up to get a drink. Truthfully you were just feeling far too hot and you needed a break.  
“See?” he calls from the living room, “No doors, no stairs how easy was that?”

  
“Agonizing,” you call back sarcastically. You offer him a bottle of ketchup before you come back, but he declines. As you sit down he puts his arm up on the couch behind you and as you watch the movie you can feel it slowly drifting down around your shoulders. That same burning in your cheeks was back. You found yourself not watching the movie but fixating your eyes straight ahead as you ponder his next move. Does he reciprocate your feelings? Should you say something? Is this all just an elaborate prank?

  
“SANS! WHERE DID YOU PUT MY-” Papyrus bursts out of his room and to your surprise Sans quickly retreats his arm and scoots a little away from you. Papyrus stood still for a moment, looking confused. “AH I SEE, YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO BECOME BETTER FRIENDS WITH THE HUMAN!” You glance over at Sans to find him blushing, though you have no idea biologically how that’s possible. He locks eyes with you for a moment and shrugs, giving you a big goofy smile. Papyrus takes a battle stance at the top of the steps. “I SEE. I MUST FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO BE THE HUMANS CLOSEST AND GREATEST FRIEND. EVEN IF IT MEANS SPARRING WITH YOU, SANS” Sans shrugs once again and gets up from the couch. You weren’t worried for either of them – Papyrus was passionate, but they were both too goofy to actually hurt one another. Papyrus tackled Sans from the top of the stairs, the move simply a clattering of bones and a soft thud on the carpet. Sans pulled a white flag out of nowhere and declared Papyrus the victor. Satisfied, Papyrus returned to his room never remembering why he initially exited. Sans got up from the carpet and sat back on the couch, this time putting his arm directly around you. After a minute or so he gestured to the act, “Is this okay?” You weren’t sure all of what he was asking. Did he mean platonically? Comfort wise? Was he alluding to something more? Struggling to interpret, you finally just ask,

  
“What do you mean? Like…the arm?” He chuckled, a wide grin across his face. “Yes ‘like the arm’ what else would I mean?”  
Although there was many other things he could mean you interpret that as his platonic message and let that rest. You both watch the rest of the movie, commenting on the physics of skeletons and how Sans admires Jack for some reason. You find yourself inching a little closer to him the whole time – it happened naturally of course, through a laugh or a push or a joke…you just felt you wanted to be close to him. By the end of the movie you were leaning into his arms, your head nuzzled under his and you couldn’t be happier. Despite the fact that he was obviously a skeleton and boney by nature, his thick winter jacket actually made it fairly comfortable. You start to drift off to sleep as the second movie starts, when you feel his hand touch yours. Alert – you jolt up, bumping heads and splitting you both apart in the panic.

  
“Ow….jeez” You rub your head and Sans shrugs with a slight smile.  
"Sorry, I’ve got a thick skull.” You give a smile and right yourself back on the couch. Then looking back at him you see him looking at his hands sadly.  
“What’s wrong?” You ask, feeling much more awake after the contact. He flashed you a smile but it seems fake. He takes a moment to pause before he answers, examining his hands.  
“I ran them under some hot water earlier. I’m sorry they were cold before. I guess it didn’t help.” The meaning of that sentence sinks in and you feel a little fluttery.  
“No it wasn’t that they were cold that I…uh pulled away…” He nods and looks at you sheepishly.

  
“Too boney? Because I’m afraid outside of gloves there’s not much I can do about that.” You get a little closer to him, sensing what this is leading up to.  
“No it wasn’t that…I was just surprised that you….that you wanted to….that you touched me.” Sans winks at you. You push him away and laugh a little. “You know what I mean. Hold my hand…or whatever.”  
“Hold your hand? Oh okay, that’s not what I was going for but if you’re so desperate for the bone zone I guess I can oblige.” You shoot him a look you must’ve picked up from Toriel because he laughs and states he’s kidding. After a moment of awkward but pleasant silence he resumes his concerned look and asks again, “Do you mind it though?” He fixates on you again with those eyes and you find yourself a little stuck.

  
“I …uh…actually don’t mind…I wouldn’t mind it. If you wanted to – that is.” He smiled and closed his eyes for a minute.  
“What would you mind?” Confused, you give it a minute but can’t understand what he means.  
“What would you mind me doing?” He clarifies, peeking one eye at you with a smile. The question catches you off guard and makes you feel those feelings all over. You think carefully for a moment.  
“I…..well…It would just depend on what the hell we were talking about in the first place. This is all far too vague.” He chuckles and gets up from the couch.  
“Being specific is too much work. Being vague is the best I can do.” With that unsatisfying answer he hands you a blanket and a pillow to sleep on and heads upstairs.  
“Hey I thought going upstairs to sleep was too much work?” He turned back to you, laughing, being caught in his own joke. Truthfully you were awake now and didn’t want him to go.  
“Well if you ever feel a little less lazy you can join me sometime, sweetheart.” He winks at you with a little flash of blue in his eyes, making you feel intimidated and eager at the same time.

The rest of the night before you fell asleep you were a ball of nerves. He clearly had some level of feelings for you right? That smile…the way he spoke…although he could’ve just been joking. As you settled into the couch, pulling his jacket tight around you – you thought about it and decided he wasn’t. Not entirely at least.


	2. Not Entirely at Least

The next morning you awoke to the shouts of Papyrus in the kitchen and the smell of something – not pasta – burning.

“HUMAN! I HAVE OBTAINED A RECIPE FROM UNDYNE CALLED MUFFINS. HOWEVER I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW LONG TO COOK THE SAUCE. COULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME?” Giggling a little to yourself you hop out of bed, although still a little groggy, to assist Papyrus with the baking. Unfortunately you received the same training in culinary arts that Papyrus did and arguably just made it worse. You both throw out of the sludgy mess and sit down at the table perplexed. Taking a look at the recipe you realize that although ‘Muffins!’ was written at the top, the instructions quite literally took you through the process of baking sludge.

Sans appeared after a moment, smiling wide and hopping up on the counter.  
“That doesn’t smell like spaghetti.” Papyrus hands Sans the recipe silently and admits his failure dramatically, leaving the kitchen to console himself by playing with his action figures. Alone again with Sans you feel those feelings build up inside of you, but you feel much less nervous.  
“We actually did follow the recipe word for word, I just don’t think it was titled correctly.” You said after a moment, feeling a little embarrassed that you too had failed. Sans gives a wide smile and hops down from the counter, walking over to sit by you at the table.  
“You don’t know how to make muffins? Wow. Even I know how to make muffins.” You laugh a bit incredulously. His smile didn’t falter.

  
“You? You know how to make muffins?” You asked, very confident that he did not. He nods and stands back up, opening the long door under the ceiling-high sink.  
“Do you wanna bet?” He asked, a wide smile growing across his face. You feel a little uneasy about the way his right eye was glinting at you…it looked almost blue for a moment. In that moment you knew you should respond to him but something was tying your words. Turning around and walking a little closer to you he whispered, making your skin crawl.

“Are you scared?” You were indeed, at least just a little. If scared and slightly aroused could be combined, then yes. You went to speak again but your words failed you. He smirked and winked at you,  
“And I thought I was the one that didn’t have any guts.” Groaning at the pun brought you back to your senses and you shook off the speechlessness.  
“Alright fine, what’s the bet?” You asked. Sans turned back to the cabinet door and pulled out an apron with the words ‘Lazy Bones’ on it and put it on. You suddenly felt a little less confident.

  
“If you win, nothing happens – because you aren’t going to win.” He winks at you again, taking out some flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, chocolate chips, brown sugar, eggs and a cupcake tin. “If I win, you sleep in my room tonight.” You feel your face grow hot at the suggestion and your breathing falters a little bit. He notices, because of course he does. He notices everything. “Don’t worry. I’ll make the bed and clean up a little….maybe.” He starts preparing to bake, and you know you should say something at least to save face or play it cool.  
“Oh” Is all that you can muster up. Sans turns around at your lame attempt, aware that he’s completely caught you off guard.

  
“That’s my second favorite letter.” He returns back to baking, fixing the ingredients and cracking the eggs. You know he wants to ask but you refuse to indulge him.  
“WHATS YOUR FIRST FAVORITE LETTER?” Papyrus asks, startling you with his sudden presence, two action figures in his hands as he sits down lankily at the table. Sans chuckles and stops working to look at you dead in the eyes, his right eye glinting blue again momentarily.  
“U.” Goosebumps roll over your skin and you turn away to hide your blushing.

“THAT WAS RATHER LAME, SANS.” Papyrus states, rolling his eyes as he engages the two action figures in a very polite battle. “THE HUMAN WILL NEVER LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS SHE LOVES ME. WE ONCE DATED YOU KNOW.” You wince at the memory of indulging Papyrus in a date so that he wouldn’t capture you. Sans openly laughs as he finishes stirring the batter.  
“I know, bro. I would never think of coming in between the love you two share.” He winks at you as he points to the muffin wraps in the cabinet. You hand him the paper cups, giving him the iciest stare you can muster.  
“WELL, I WOULDN’T SAY WE SHARED IT. THE HUMAN WAS CLEARLY OBSESSED, I ONLY DATED HER OUT OF PITY AND GREATNESS.”

  
“You are great, Papyrus.” Sans smiled to himself as he poured the batter. As they continued their banter you couldn’t help but be entranced by the care and attention Sans took into baking the muffins. You’d never seen him attend to something so carefully. After a little while he took them out and they smelled delicious. He popped them out and let them cool on the counter.

As they cooled you all watched the storm for a while, letting Papyrus rattle on about his recollections of first fighting you and how brave he was and whatnot. While you all stared out of the window, you felt Sans slip his bony hand into yours. It was warm. You felt warm all over.  
After they cooled, Papyrus ate six of the muffins almost immediately, stating they were indeed decadent but nowhere as great as his spaghetti which he was coincidentally making for dinner that night. Sans agreed as he handed you one of the muffins, his eyes twinkling. It was honestly the best muffin you had ever had – including the muffins Toriel used to make you…although you had a suspicion that’s where Sans had learned it in the first place. Taking the apron off and tossing it carelessly on the kitchen floor, Sans hopped back up on the counter looking at you and grinning widely.  
“So I guess I’ll have to make my bed, huh?”

  
As Papyrus questioned this and started a whole new train of banter, your mind drifted off as your cheeks grew warm and rubious. You guess he would.

 

Later that night after a few rounds of board games, in which Papyrus won every game, you and Sans were once again left alone on the couch. His arm placed gently but firm around your shoulders and with your head leaning against him you felt happy and nervous. What exactly did he have in store for tonight? At that mention you began to think about particular biological setbacks to certain situations….how exactly did skeleton monsters manage to uh…perform? You found your eyes drifting to his crotch, logically knowing nothing would be there but curious to see it regardless.  
“Geez, I’m a person y’know. Not just a sack of bones.” Sans startled you, clearly having been able to see where you were looking. You laugh it off, embarrassed he had caught you. He picked up the remote and shut off the television, turning to look at you.

“You’re curious, aren’t you.” He asked, his eyes glowing. You manage a nod and a small smile. He leans back on the couch, placing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. “Well you can look if you want, but just as you were probably suspecting there isn’t anything there.” Although you knew this to be true you nervously placed your hand on the front of his pants. Your hand sunk to the base of his pelvic bone. He gave a little shudder and sat upright. Surprised, but still interested, you gently moved your hand through the leg of his pants and tenderly rubbed his pelvic bone again. He twitched a bit and removed your hand from his pants, glancing quickly up at his brother’s room. You gave him a wink and he stared at you for a moment, startled although seemingly pleased at your forwardness.

“Well it seems like you’re eager for a boning.” He stated in a hoarse voice, your gentle actions having stunned him a little more than you realized. “Would you uh…like to go to my room?” You silently nod to him, not feeling as nervous now – but excited for what would happen next.  
He stood up scratching the back of his head and smiling, and offered you a hand. You smiled as sweetly as you could to reassure him, and took it. He led you up the stairs and unlocked his bedroom. You’d been in here a few times, mostly because Papyrus wanted to show you how disgusting his brother had kept his room. But things looked different now. Despite being downstairs with you and Papyrus the whole time, he had somehow found the time to clean the room. Granted, the trash tornado was still spinning and the pile of socks were all just shoved in a corner – but the lamp was fixed with a smooth red lighting, his bed was made and the floor actually looked clean. His effort sunk into your mind slowly as he closed the door behind you and stood awkwardly, rubbing his skull and smiling.

“Welcome to the bone zone.” He said goofily, giving you a big wink before sitting down on the bed.  
“You actually….cleaned for me?” He shrugged and laid down on the bed, closing his eyes.  
“Figured I’d have to do it eventually. Now seems a good of a time as any.” You blushed to yourself, thankful that the darker lighting no longer showed it, and sat down on the edge of the bed. For a moment it was quiet and the whirl of the trash tornado filled the room. Sans sat up next to you, staring down at the floor.

“Sans I-”  
“Frisk, there’s-”  
You both attempted to speak at the same time and chuckled a little at the cheesiness of the situation. You nodded to let him go first and he took a deep breath.

“Frisk…do you know about SAVE?” You felt your skin chill a little bit. You had learned about SAVE a long time ago in your childhood, it was a power that you discovered on your own. You hadn’t known that anyone else even knew of it. Unsure where this was going – you nodded. “Well… I know about it too. I have no control over it, but you seem to. There are days when you retry the entire day multiple times just because you messed up a few things.” He smiled to himself. “It’s pretty cute actually. You’re so….determined to get everything right. But sometimes certain mistakes don’t bother you. I actually haven’t figured out the pattern of what makes you want to start over….but…uh…anyways. I can always tell when you start over. Every time. I may not have a complete memory but I can usually piece together what happened.” You weren’t entirely sure what he was talking about. He noticed this.

  
“Uh…sorry. This is a bit too much. Let me get to the point.” He took a deep breath and looked over at you. “You know how I feel about you, don’t you?” The question was a curve ball and it hit you hard.  
“Um. I think so. H-How do you feel about me?” You ask meekly, still unsure of what was happening.

“I….” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I care for you very deeply. And…. I’ve actually told you this before. A few times. Many times actually. But for whatever reason recently you kept resetting it.” He looked away from you, down at the floor. “I try not to let it bother me. I try to just pretend its because something else keeps happening – but it seems too coincidental. I used to get really frustrated about it, because just as I was falling in….feeling very strongly about you….you reset everything and then we hardly knew each other again. Its like being rejected a million times in the worst way possible….because I have so many memories of getting to know you and long nights we spent talking….sharing so many personal moments….and then the next day you hardly know my name.” All of this seems to ring a bell to you, but in a different light.  
“No I…I completely understand where you’re coming from.” You say, a little hesitant at first at what you yourself even mean. Sans looks up, a little surprised.

“You do?”  
“I do... I have faint distant memories of um…” You look away from him and smile, “of us kissing at the waterfall. Of you and me pranking Papyrus and then escaping to the garage and hiding…and getting a little carried away in the solitude. I have a lot of memories like that. And before now I just thought I was making them up or dreaming or something….but I can feel them inside of me. I know that it’s all happened before.” Sans’ eyes were bright but he seemed a little confused.  
You both sat there for a moment in silence.

  
“I’m not sure why I would’ve….” He looked away from you at his hands. You gently held them and he turned to look at you. “But I know I didn’t do it because of you. Those aren’t memories I would’ve wanted to forget. I don’t ever want to forget you or the way you make me feel when I’m around you.” He gave you a small smile and hugged you, you felt warm all over. It bothered you that you couldn’t fully remember being with him prior or why you reset everything. It gave you a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach, but you had hope that this time would be different. You wouldn’t reset this conversation, you wouldn’t erase these feelings no matter what happened. Your affection for Sans filled you with determination.

As if he felt your energy and understood your intent, Sans pulled away for a moment and looked at your face. With one ivory finger he stroked your face and smiled.  
“I waited so long this time. I had to let you catch feelings for me all over again.” You smiled and laid down on the bed, letting him lay down beside you.  
“Is that why you forced me to go to bed with you by setting up that crappy bet?” He chuckled.

“Maybe. A guy can only wait so long, y’know. Besides I thought maybe baking the muffins would help you remember.” He closed his eyes and laid back, arms behind his head. When you didn’t respond he opened one eye and saw your confused expression. He chuckled. “Who do you think taught me how to bake muffins?” You leaned up a little bit more, surprised.  
“Me? I thought maybe Toriel…” You drifted off for a bit. “Then how come I don’t know how to make them now?” He shrugged.  
“Maybe in this timeline you never learned from her to be able to teach me. Regardless, I totally owned you in baking.” You laughed a little, although a lost skill kind of bothered you. He could tell. “Hey if you want I can teach you. Or if you keep resetting maybe we can just teach each other back and forth how to make muffins. Such a purpose in life – don’tcha think?” You giggled.

“I don’t want to reset anymore.” You gently reached out to hold his hand. Warm again. He turned to you and kissed you. His version of kissing that is - which was pressing where his lips would be against you and allowing a spark of blue magic to twitch between you. The blue tinge of his blushing was visible even in the dark lighting.  
“Do you remember….being with me?” He asked, a little shyer than his usual self. You tried to remember but you just didn’t. He could tell. “Ah. Well at least I’ve got the element of surprise.” He winked at you and then suddenly grabbed the blanket and covered you both.  
“Welp. Goodnight Frisk.” A little disappointed, you were still sitting up as he got comfortable.

“You’re just gonna leave me with that cliff hanger?” You complained a little. He had filled you with such passion in the past few moments and you were expecting him to take advantage of his little bet.  
“Geez, take it easy girl. I know you’re moaning for a boning but a guy needs his rest.” He rolled over to face you with a giant smirk on his face. You leaned over him, knowing he was just messing with you.  
“Do you remember being with me?” You ask, averting your eyes and running your hands over his rib cage. The mere touch clearly makes him squirm, though he tries to play it cool.

  
“Of course I remember. I remember every little noise you made, every word you said, every inch of your body…” He looks you over and you can almost feel his eyes crawling over you. “The first time was a little awkward, I hadn’t ever actually uh….been with a human. And you seemed a little unsure as well. It was a little goofy in the beginning but after we got it figured out...” he trailed off, seeming breathless. Then his hungry gaze wilted a bit. “I wish you remembered it.” You held his face in your hand and smiled down at him.

“Well the great thing about memories is that you can always make more, right?” As you spoke you slipped your hand into his pants to feel around the pelvic bone, using a finger to rub circles back and forth. He sat up just a little, squirming a little more and ever so slightly pressing his hips up to meet you. He seemed to enjoy it so sinfully, almost as though he’d been aching for it for months…which he had of course. And yet he stopped you once again.

  
“I…I don’t want to do this.” The glow of his eyes dimmed a little bit. Slightly hurt, you retreated and sat back on the bed. He couldn’t look you in the eyes. “I don’t want to do something that will make me love you even more if you’re just going to reset. I know you said you wouldn’t but…you’ve said that before. I can’t take this anymore. I need to know for sure that it won’t end or I don’t want it at all.” You were stuck in a situation where you couldn’t even trust yourself. You wanted to reassure him, to comfort him and shower him with love…but you couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t reset. If you didn’t even remember doing it, maybe you did it involuntarily. Either way – it wasn’t worth hurting him.  
You laid down next to him, silently accepting his decision and reached your arms around to hold him. He breathed out heavily, shaking a little. “Thank you, Frisk.” He turned around so that you were face to face in each other’s arms. “Please don’t reset. When I wake up in the morning, all I want is for you to be next to me.” He closed his eyes and gave you another spark-kiss. You settled deep into his bear hug and everything was silent for a moment.

  
After a few minutes passed you gently pushed out of his arms to look up into his face and smiled. “Are you going to teach me how to make muffins in the morning?” Sans closed his eyes as a great grin spread across his face. He held you tighter and pressed you against his chest.  
“Of course.”


	3. Consequence Of Not Resetting

You awoke slowly to find yourself alone in Sans’ room, the atmosphere still and empty. Checking your watch you saw the time was 3 in the morning. Laying there for a moment you hoped maybe he had just gone to get something to drink or use the bathroom….did he ever need to do either of those though? After ten minutes or so of uneasy silence you sat up on the creaking bed and walked through the room, stumbling on the cord for the treadmill. The door was cracked open and you slipped into the hallway.

 

               Pausing for a moment you cracked open Papyrus’ door to see if he was possibly with his brother, but the lanky skeleton was stretched out on his car bed alone. Closing the door quietly you walked down the stairs, feeling a bit cold and uncomfortable. Tugging Sans’ jacket tight around you, you made your way to the kitchen and again could not find him. It was then you heard a faint whispering of wind coming from a crack in the walls somewhere. You spun around for a moment before you noticed the door was slightly open and the freezing winds were sneaking through. Slipping into your boots you clutched the jacket tight and attempted to open the door. To your surprise it opened with ease and there was no trace that the snow storm had even occurred. The solitary street lamp beside the library provided little comfort as you looked around hoping that this was all just a stupid prank.

              

               Then you noticed the foot prints in the snow, tracking to the back of the house. Without a second thought you followed them, and as you did in your peripheral you noticed the library’s street lamp go out, and the world slowly faded into dripping darkness. The crunching noise of the snow under your feet became sharper and more like you were snapping branches beneath you. Unsettled – you followed the prints to a shed in the back of the house you didn’t even know existed. The door was also slightly ajar.

              

               Holding your breath for a moment, you open the door and step inside to find Sans standing in the middle of the room with his back to you. The lights were dim and it was somehow colder inside than out in the snow.

 

               “S-sans?” You asked, unaware until you spoke how scared you were. He didn’t respond. You took a step further. “Sans? Are you oka-”

 

               Sans spun around, his right eye glowing intensely, flicking between an ungodly swirl of blue and orange. The smile etched into his face was one of pain – both of internal and clearly a desire to inflict. Your heart started pumping faster and faster as he took a step toward you.

 

               “You dirty brother killer.” He said, his voice not even his own. The room around you seemed to start melting from the white and blue paneling to a dripping gold texture, pooling at his feet and gravitating towards him.  He took another step closer to you.

 

               You were so afraid and unsure of what was happening, you backed into the door and fell backwards outside. You had expected to land in soft snow but instead you felt painful pricks and few stabs that broke the skin in your back. Leaping up you turned around and screamed – the crunching noises you heard earlier was not snow at all. It was a thickly piled blanket of bloody bones, all cracked and broken with pieces still stuck in your boots. Blood was flowing from your hands where you had caught your fall and the blood that dripped on the ground also started to get pulled to Sans – who was watching you with a disturbing grin on his face.

               “Will you NEVER be satisfied?” He growled, his eye flashing blue for a moment as he swung his hand and the door behind you slammed shut. The outline of his body began to glow blue faintly as he rose from the ground slowly. The room was a buzz of energy and all the blood in your body ran cold at the sight of him, your heart pumping out of your chest. You were frozen to the spot, unable to move or speak. He got closer to you, eye glowing so blue it was becoming white and suddenly everything was white and there was a flash.

 

               “Will you never be satisfied?” Sans giggled, his forehead resting against yours in a loving manner. Terrified and confused you pushed him harshly away from you, heart still pumping as you back into a corner in his room. You were back in his room.…you looked down. You were naked, and freezing. Holding his chest he coughed a bit and then gave you a look of concern.

               “I….I’m sorry did I do something? Did I hurt you?” He said, clearly wanting to comfort you but you were a deer in the headlights and he didn’t want to frighten you any more than he already had. You mumbled a few words but nothing understandable came out. He stood up from the bed, both of his eyes glowing a soft white and he walked slowly over to you.

               “What the hell happened? Are my hands that cold?” He was making a joke – he clearly understood the situation was much more severe, but he wasn’t sure how to help.

               “Y-y-you….” You tried to speak, feeling the cold sweat finally break all over your body. Sans embraced you slowly, making sure you were comfortable with it. It felt warm and inviting and despite being hesitant at first you broke into tears and hugged him tighter.

               “I guess it was just….just a nightmare.” You laughed a little nervously, although you didn’t really believe that it hadn’t happened – you just very much wanted it to be over with. You felt him chuckle softly.

               “Was it?” Your blood turned to ice as he pulled his head back, eye glowing just as he had before. Tears of confusion and terror dripped slowly down your face. Still tucked in a tight embrace, you struggled to get away but found you could not.

               “Are you scared?” He whispered to you, almost as if his voice was layered with both a pleasant teasing tone and the ungodly unpleasant one he had just spoken in. Despite your fears you found yourself similarly aroused.

 

               There was another flash and you found yourself in bed with him, on top of him - feeling compelled to kiss him and you did passionately. The sparks which normally tickled your lips were sparking and stinging you a little bit but it only excited you more. The lights in his eyes were normal and they soothed you, although your sexual urges were controlling you more than you would’ve liked to admit. You found yourself unable to stop touching him, rubbing him, pressing him against your soft naked skin. You wanted to feel every inch of him. His eyes grew brighter as if he read your thoughts.

 

               Another flash and he was on top of you, his weight carried somehow and you felt pinned – although in an unpleasant or pleasant way you could no longer tell. What you were afraid of before you no longer remembered. All you knew now is that you wanted him, and you wanted him so badly you were willing to kill to have him. The room around you melted as it had before but this time like red wax dripping down a candle, until all sides were pitch black and the floor of the room was a molten rubious mess. He bit your neck and your shoulder and shivers raced across your spine. Clawing his backbone desperately he arched and moaned a little. Nothing was cold anymore – everything felt steaming and warm. His magic flowed around you, embracing you, enticing you – and you found yourself becoming more animalistic.

 

               The sexual urges became more primal, and as he focused his power into forming a member for himself, you pressed yourself on top of it before he was finished creating. Somewhere in the darkest depths of your mind you felt yourself remarking that under normal circumstances he absolutely would’ve make a joke about that but you no longer cared about normal circumstances. He merely smirked at you, his white eyes fading to just his swirling blue and orange one – but you were no longer afraid of this version of him. This was the him you wanted all along. He surged magic once more into his member, filling it out while it was already inside of you, bringing you to scream and moan from taking too much at once.

 

               You felt invincible. You pressed your pelvis against him, taunting him, daring him. You clawed once more at his back and although he was bone you bit his shoulder as he had done to you. He moaned and seemed a little in pain. Good. You wanted to squeeze the life out of him. He pressed himself inside of you and you bit harder, pulled harder on his ribs. His breathing became ragged and it only excited you more. You wanted to hurt him, to destroy him, to kill him –

 

               Suddenly everything was black and you were sitting still in a garden of flowers. Everything was quiet. Everything was still. Heart pumping you slumped over, mentally and physically exhausted. You glanced at your hands and noticed in surprise they were tiny. Sitting up you noticed your entire body was smaller – in fact you felt like a child again.

 

               An unsettling feeling arose within your stomach and a voice that gave you goosebumps and made your blood run cold echoed all around you.

 

               “You thought you were done with me?” Childish laughter echoed all around the empty void.

               “You thought you could be happy?” Small giggles.

               “You want to be with him don’t you? You just want to be happy. He just wants to be happy. You both are so ignorant.” A small child stepped into view, wearing a striped yellow and green shirt. Eyes glowing red, they smiled and showed a set of razor sharp teeth.

               “I will NEVER let you be happy. You both WILL NEVER be happy. I will let you destroy each other again.”

               You felt a sharp pain in your chest.

               You were dying.

               “AND AGAIN.” The child was closer, within arms distance.

               “AND AGAIN.” The child was in your face, spit dripping from its teeth and their empty eyes glowing blood red. Your heart was bursting, you reached out to push away the child but they caught your hand – so infinitely stronger than you could ever be. They twisted your arm until you felt and heard it break, screaming you cried tears of pain until suddenly the pain was gone. Opening your eyes Sans was standing in front of you, smiling.

               Then he was broken in pieces, shattered and aching, trying to speak but failing. The child stepped right on his split body, crunching his chest and leaning in to you.

               “You failed.”

 

               You sat up in bed screaming, sweaty with tears streaming down your face. You spun around the room and it hit you suddenly that it was all just one nightmare. Or was it?

               Sans had seemingly woken up at your outburst and was sitting up with you, placing his arm around your waist and holding you tight. You breathed heavily for a few minutes, catching your breath – crying a little in between gulps of air. You turned to him, still scared of him slightly from what you had seen. His eyes were wide and concerned, although he too – seemed a little scared of you. Letting the cold air relieve you for a minute, you slowly eased yourself back into bed. Watching you, Sans laid down with you – never taking his eyes off you. After a long while of silence and contemplation you relaxed your facial muscles and Sans seemed to be a little less tense as well. He held your hand softly.

               “Did you have…a nightmare…about me?” You nodded, heart still pumping. He sighed, seeming almost angry.

               “Me too. About you- that is. I’ve had them every night since the night we met.” He closed his eyes and the bags that were always under his eyes became more defined. He gripped your hand tighter and pulled you close to him. “I worried this might happen.” 


	4. Will they ever actually bake these damn muffins? Probably not.

With images of the nightmare burned into your mind, you couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. Sans held you in his arms as you relived the experience quietly in your mind. He was clearly uncomfortable with your unhappiness; running his hand through your hair he sighed and pulled you tight against him. You were shaken and confused – so much had happened in such short time but you were determined to find the answers. Drying the last of your tears you turned to face the worn-out skeleton.

               “Sans…how did you know about SAVE? And what…exactly just happened to me?” Sans sighed, his eyes lidding halfway as he pulled his hand away from your hair. It took him a moment to compose himself before he spoke.

               “Frisk….It’s a lot to take in and understand. You need to rest.” He was clearly concerned for you but there was something deeper to it. Something he was ashamed of.

               “Sans. Tell me. I’m exhausted, but I’m so very confused and afraid.” He didn’t respond to you, the lights dimming from his eyes.

 

               “Sans.” You said sternly, stepping out of bed. “Tell me right now or I’m leaving. I don’t care if the snow has buried this house, I’m not sitting here another moment with you with vague answers. I want the truth. What. the fuck. is happening.” His eyes flashing open he gave you a sad, broken look that almost made you take everything back, but you held your ground. He stared at the wall, a million miles away as he explained.

 

               “I studied quantum mechanics and physics for a very long time, and eventually we…I was able to build a kind of time machine. Eventually it was tested by a volunteer and he was sent just five minutes into the past. I…never saw him again. He was torn throughout space and time, but through tinkering of the machine I made it work - although poorly. It was then I started to notice the resetting. Everything was fine for the most part, I had no idea what was causing it but nothing remarkable happened. It was only after you defeated Chara and Flowey when the nightmares started. Although I’m not quite sure how, Chara and Flowey had somehow linked themselves to the SAVE. Everytime you reset it gave them life. Repeated resetting made them stronger. A resolution to never reset again would erase them completely. It’s something wicked and evil in the power to SAVE that allows their souls to persist – and I truly believe these nightmares are the only way they can fight back against the two of us.” Understanding the context of the nightmares made them seem a lot less terrifying. But there was something you still didn’t understand,

 

               “Why would they bother with you though?” You asked, hoping it wasn’t rude, “I mean you can’t reset things.”

               “I’m honestly not sure on that one. It might be just pure boredom. I’ve seen a lot of things through my experiments in time and I’ve seen a few different timelines I’m not particularly fond of. They seem to enjoy stabbing those wounds. It might be because I’m the only person who could get you to stop resetting, or maybe because I have a uh…certain attachment to you and they prey on any weakness. Either way, if I’m not a part of the essential process I’d love to opt out.” He winked at you, but there was so much weight to that statement. You considered the amount of emotional torture he’d endured for you just to solve a few puzzles over and over. If you’d had known….

               “Why didn’t you tell me earlier to stop?” He shrugged.

 

               “I never thought you would, and honestly I still think you won’t.” After looking offended he hurried, “Not because you were cruel but…things happen. And when you have that kind of power to forget and start over…I’m just saying it’s a lot to give up cold turkey.” You nodded, understanding his statement though more determined than ever to prove him wrong. You sat on the edge of the bed thinking it all over.

               “So… who was the volunteer?” You asked, realizing he wasn’t given a name or any importance despite being torn apart by time. Sans froze up, and the lights in his eyes disappeared.

               “I’m not talking about that. Don’t ask me again.” You immediately felt ashamed for pushing it, although you weren’t sure exactly why. Feeling bad, you reached for his hand and rubbed his bones tenderly. There was no response from him. You apologized and tried to push him playfully, but there was still no response.

After a moment you pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight. He chuckled, lights coming back on in his eyes as his pleasant demeanor returns. He embraces you as well. After a moment he attempts to pull away from the hug and you squeeze him tighter.

“GAH! You’re breaking my bones, girl!” Scared, you release him and ask feverently if he’s okay. He laughs heartily,

“It’s just a joke, what do you think I’m made out of – porcelain?” You both laugh and it feels so freeing. You both joke back and forth with each other for a while before you check your watch, realizing its 6am and you aren’t the least bit tired. Sans seems to catch your train of thought.

 

“Do you….uh….. want me to teach you how to bake some muffins? I doubt we’re going back to sleep anytime soon.” You nodded and hopped out of bed, readjusting your borrowed clothes, but just as you’re about to walk into the hallway Sans stops you.

“And Frisk….. You can’t tell anyone about any of this.” His eyes are bright and pleading, “especially not Papyrus, okay?”  You laugh a little to yourself and he seems surprised.

“Who would believe me anyway? Nobody would believe me if I said you built a snowman, let alone a TIME MACHINE.” His face brightens as he begins listing the many things he’s built over the years as the two of you walk downstairs.

 

“…my outpost, that snow lump, our friendship, sexual tension-” at the last one you turn around and he winks at you. “Am I wrong?” You blush and enter the kitchen, avoiding the question. Remembering you had been in this kitchen alone with him just a day earlier, you found yourself feeling closer to Sans after everything that had happened. He seemed to feel the same way, his steps seemed lighter and he kept shooting you glances – not particularly for any reason just almost as a confirmation to himself that – yes you were there and he was no longer alone.

You sat up on the counter watching him as he gathered all the ingredients and picked his apron up from the ground where he had left it earlier.

 

“Hey, why don’t I get a cute lil apron?” You tease him, and at the mention of him wearing something ‘cute’ he blushes a little.

               “It’s just so I don’t get flour or eggs or anything on my clothes.” You playfully push him a little.

               “Well I’m wearing your clothes right now, don’t I need protection?”

 

               “You’ll only need protection if you take off those clothes” He winked at you, removing his apron and handing it to you. “But if you insist…”

               You took the apron weakly, your face burning up.                                                                                   

    

   “What? Did I say something to….” He held up the bowl and wooden spoon, “stir you up?” At that you hopped off the counter and left the kitchen, very much done with his puns. Sans, laughing hysterically, dragged you back inside. Giggling you grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it at him. With a blink he disappeared and reappeared behind you, pushing you into the rain of flour. The top of your head and most of your face now completely white, you laughed and a little cloud of flour puffed out with every exhale.

               “Wow you’re really terrible at aiming.” Sans smirks, cracking some eggs into the bowl and mixing the other ingredients together. You attempt to give him an icy stare but it’s hard when chunks of flour keep falling into your eyes. You rinse off at least little in the sink, watching as he stirs so perfectly and quickly. “Batter up!” He jokes, and in one quick motion sets down the mixing bowl and yanks one of Papyrus’ baseball hats down over your eyes. Pulling it up he’s disappeared, the wooden spoon still spinning in the bowl.

 

               Knowing he’s hiding from you, you check under the sink, (which is essentially just a closet at that point) and then retreat into the living room. After inspecting the couch and all the cushions you look behind the furniture and head back to the kitchen.

               “Marco!” You try, knowing Sans wouldn’t be able to resist. You hear a muffled ‘POLO’ coming from the refrigerator. Opening the door you don’t see anything, so you try the freezer.

               Hunched up, Sans shoots you a wide grin and extends an icy cold hand to you.

               “Ice to meet you.”

 

               You shut the freezer door on him, shaking your head as you put on the apron.

               “Come on I thought you were going to teach me-”

               Sans reappears right next to you, dusting off some ice from his jacket.

               “How do you do that anyways? I never see Papyrus teleporting.” You tie the back of the apron and he looks at you smiling.

               “You were right, that apron is cute. On you at least.” You feel yourself blush a little as he takes up the mixing bowl again and hops up on the counter. You jump up with him, feeling energetic and content.

 

               “Papyrus never focuses on his magic very much, he mostly just uses it for his defense and some of his attacks.” Sans stirs the batter, glancing at you and smiling. Just within the few hours of his explanation you’ve noticed his smile is more genuine. You like it. He must’ve been so lonely, holding all of that fear and tension up inside of him. You start to wonder if there’s more he still hasn’t told you, and how he would feel if he did. “I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting it for a lot of different uses. All monsters have magic, but it’s just like a muscle – you have to spend a lot of time exercising it or you lose it.” Your mind drifted slowly to the nightmare, specifically the part where you felt Sans fill you up with his…

               “How uh….how do you exercise it usually?” Sans shot you a look like he was questioning if you knew something.

               “I can use it for a lot of things. Teleporting is one, I can move things without touching them-” he demonstrated, waving his hand back and opening a drawer across the room. Gesturing up and down he lifted a few spoons and dropped them back in the drawer. “I don’t know – there’s a lot I can do with magic.” You hummed quietly, nodding in agreement.

               “What?” He asked, sensing you had more to say and smiling widely. “What do you want me to use it for? You so clearly have a need of some kind.” The suggestion brought some excitement into your stomach, but the nightmare had left it slightly tainted. Damn you, Chara.

 

               “Just…in the nightmare you were able to do certain things with your magic and I was just curious if you could actually do it.” Sans stopped stirring the batter and looked at you suspiciously.

               “What kind of things? Were they violent or were they more….uh…” He drifted off, not wanting to give himself away. You hopped off the counter, feeling that you had the upper hand.

               “Oh well sure, you were all scary, powerful and violent for one part of it….but there was something else you were able to do that I have to admit made it a little more tolerable.” He set the bowl down on the counter.

 

               “Okay. But what was it? Be specific.” He already knew what you were talking about. With his anxieties about you resetting soothed and his guilt about using you unnecessary, you could interpret a hunger in his eyes. But he wasn’t going to say it. He wanted you to say it. He wanted you to be the one to want him, after all of this time chasing after you he needed you to tell him. He was ready, he was so incredibly ready for you to say you wanted him. He had been aching for you but he had to wait. He felt closer to you after sharing so much of his secrets with you. He trusted you. He craved you. He waited – but you weren’t saying anything. He gulped and repeated. “Be specific.” You walked over to him, getting so close you could kiss him.

 

 “Being specific is too much work.” You bit your lip, and watched him glare hungrily at you, a wide grin spreading across your face.

 

“Being vague is the best I can do.”


	5. His Favorite Trick

Sans was breathing heavily, the lights in his eyes switching between staring deeply into your eyes and hungrily at your lips. You could feel your heart pumping faster too. You knew he wanted you to make the first move, but despite everything you still felt nervous around him. He had been with you before and remembered every detail, but to you this was still your first solid encounter. He interrupted your train of thought by clearing his throat.

               “Are you gonna do something or just stare?” He chuckled breathlessly, not taking his eyes off you. When you didn’t respond a cheeky smile spread softly across his face. “I mean – I know I’m gorgeous but you don’t have to be such a stranger. You have my full permission to take advantage of my supple body.” At that you couldn’t help but laugh. Sans seemed satisfied at the joke, but also a little impatient. As the last of the giggles left you, you looked back into his eyes – as hungry as ever – and leaned in close.

 

               “SANS! HUMAN! THE STORM SEEMS TO HAVE CLEARED!” You heard a muffled Papyrus yell from upstairs, his footsteps bounding your way. You both spun around, alarmed and guilty. You pretended to be tying your apron while Sans haphazardly picked up the mixing bowl and starting stirring quickly. Papyrus walked into the kitchen wearing race car footsie pajamas. You knew your face was burning up and a quick glance at Sans you saw both of his cheeks had a harsh blue tint. Papyrus sat down at the table seemingly undeterred. 

               “ARE YOU BAKING THOSE AWFUL SPAGHETTI BISCUTS AGAIN, SANS?” Sans chuckled and stole a glance at you, winking.

               “Yup.” His hands were shaking from the suppressed desire, but he soothed himself and after a moment he was okay. You shook your head and walked over to Papyrus,

               “They’re called Muffins, Papyrus.” The lanky skeleton leapt up from the table holding the recipe.

               “INCORRECT HUMAN! THIS IS THE RECIPE FOR MUFFINS, SANS IS FREESTYLING SOME KNOCK OFF SPAGHETTI SUBSTITUTE! HE TOLD ME SO!” You turn to Sans, glaring at him. He shrugs with a gigantic smile on his face. Papyrus rattles on for a while, attempting to give Sans some pointers on baking – for example that he needs to stir much fiercer and turn the temperature up far more – and Sans agreed with him on every point while ignoring his advice. You stood behind Sans watching how he did everything. He would turn and explain something to you and when he did a smile would creep over his face and his eyes would dart to your lips occasionally. When the muffins were placed in the oven there was a moment of silence as you both sat at the table with Papyrus. The silence didn’t last long.

               “SANS! DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THIS NEW WEBSITE I DISCOVERED? IT BELIEVE IT IS CALLED TUMBLING. OR TUMBLED. SOME SORT OF TUMBLE. AT ANY RATE I SEEM TO BE FAMOUS THERE – UNSURPRISING REALLY, AS NO DOUBT WORD OF MY BRAVERY HAVE SPREAD…..”

               Papyrus’ voice suddenly faded to the back of your mind as you felt a hand on your thigh. Glancing at Sans you saw him staring intently at Papyrus, nodding his head to indicate his impressive listening skills. His hand circled on your pants, feeling your soft, warm skin underneath and you felt him drifting up slowly. Embarrassed, you attempted to listen to Papyrus as well but found you just couldn’t pay attention. His hands were so warm and you felt magic sparking along at the tips. Looking down quickly you noticed he was tracing letters in blue magic on your pants They left faint marks all along like a soft thin tattoo. He was spelling your name.

               Heart pumping, you scooted your chair over a little more to Sans and leaned forward on the chair, trying your hardest to seem interested in Papyrus online fame. Sans paused for a moment, surprised at your movement but enticed as well. He gently ran his hand along the length of your thigh, stopping for a moment to pinch the nerves in your knee. Involuntarily you jump and blushing you shoot Sans a look of steel – but he seems more than pleased with himself. Papyrus didn’t seem to notice at all.  Sans hand drifted further up, squeezing your thighs and circling them softly but firmly. His hands brushed against your genitalia and you do your best to maintain a straight face. Smugly proud of himself he gently did so again and again, with such light touches you couldn’t help but twitch a little. You began to feel a little too warm in the jacket – among other places – and took it off slowly, hanging it up on the chair behind you. Sans glanced over at you, his eyes roaming your body before turning back to Papyrus.

               He started rubbing just his index finger back and forth, every so often able to push hard enough to feel your clit through your pants. You squirm silently, trying to keep the anticipation from showing on your face as you both engage in this poker face battle. He starts focusing directly on the clit, rubbing back and forth with small quick motions so that you genuinely cannot help yourself from releasing a quiet moan. Sans sharply looks to you, an excited grin on his face. Too embarrassed you look away from him, and you can feel your hips starting to move back and forth with his rhythm.

               “….IT WAS THEN I WAS ABLE TO DISCOVER THAT THE HASHTAG WAS A SHORTCUT TO FIND CERTAIN PIECES OF INTEREST. I OFF COURSE BEGAN CODING ALL MY POSTS AS #PAPYRUS #THE GREATEST #SPAGHETTI #COOL DUDE #HASHTAG JUST TO MAKE SURE I WOULD GET THE MOST VIEWS, BUT STRANGELY I HAVE NOT….” Sans cleared his throat and pulled his hand away from you. You immediately felt the loss and snapped back into the conversation.

               “Hey Papyrus, listen buddy, Frisk here seems a little hungry don’t ya think?” Confused, you turn to Sans and he winks at you to play along. Feeling flushed, you nod,

               “Oh…oh yes! I’m starving actually. If only there was some sort of….pasta dish that one of my closest friends could make me….” Papyrus stood up so fast the table lifted with his knees and smacked down heavily.

               “HUMAN! DESPAIR NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL CURE YOUR CULINARY DISTRESS!” He opened the cupboard but found all the boxes were gone.

               “Huh that’s weird….oh well I guess no pasta….hey wait!” Sans said with unreal fake surprise, “Doesn’t Undyne have tons of pasta boxes at her place? Maybe you both could make Frisk some special friendship spaghetti?” Excited and adorable, Papyrus needed no further coaxing. He sprinted upstairs to change and came fumbling down the stairs. Worried, Sans stood to check on him but Papyrus immediately burst straight out the window and started running to Waterfall. As soon as he was gone Sans turned to you, eyes hungrier than ever.

               In a blink you were both in his room again. He shut the door and pulls you to the bed.

               “W-wait Sans,” You hesitate as you fall down on the bed with him, his hands just reaching underneath your shirt. His face looks pained but he stops. “I’ve never done this before….just…be….” Sans gave you a soft look and you felt your heart flutter.

               “I’ve been with you so many times Frisk. Every time was the first time for you. I’ll be gentle, I promise.” With that you felt your entire body grow warm as he straddled you, his hands exploring your body. You pulled your shirt over your head and tossed it aside, looking shyly up at him. He slowly traced your soft skin with his hands and leaned forward,

               “You’re so beautiful, Frisk. Every inch of you is just so….so goddamn perfect.” He pulled away a little and his hands cup your breasts, feeling them gently between his bony fingers – it was an odd sensation, but pleasant. He pinches your nipples, watching them with fascination as they grow harder.

               “Do you like that?” he asked, his eyes focused on you so intently. Before you can respond he speaks, “What about…” He focuses for a second and blue sparks fly to his fingertips. The sparks dance around your nipple and warm rippling sensations fly across your chest. You hum, pleased and excited but also extremely nervous. He clearly already knew what turned you on – but you still had no idea what to expect.

               “Okay show-off, calm down” You mumbled, raising your arms above your head enjoying the sensations he continued across your chest. The sparks grew a little sharper and occasionally felt like pricks, but it didn’t hurt and became more sexually pleasing.

               “Hey – don’t blame me for being excited. I’ve got experience under my belt and I’ve been waiting so long to be with you again.” As a particularly rough shock sparks you, you moan a little and he watches your face. He seems so entranced by every expression you made, you feel almost too special in his eyes.

               “You keep saying,” you pause for a moment as you ride out another wave of pleasure, “Y-you keep saying you have SO much experience with me….how many times have we actually…” Sans shakes his head, chuckling.

               “I lost track after the fiftieth time.” Looking shocked he laughs a little harder, “I’m just kidding! Don’t worry about it so much okay, just relax and enjoy it…and maybe stop talking so much.” He winks at you playfully as you roll your eyes. He runs his hands down your torso, leaning off of you for a moment as he starts to pull off your pants.

               Feeling that things were getting more serious you feel your heart pumping as you watch him. His skeleton fingers slipping off your pants and tossing them next to your shirt he sees your underwear and shoots you a smirk.

               You had completely forgotten you were wearing little Halloween underwear with – of course – tiny little bones, pumpkins and candy on them. Blushing you look away from him, but he guides your face back to him.

               “What? It’s cute. You were just dressing for the occasion-”

               Still blushing profusely you cut him off, “If you don’t shut up and just take my underwear off I’m calling it quits.” He didn’t move an inch.

               “No you won’t. Don’t lie. You want it too badly.” You turn away from him, trying to hide how right he was but there was nowhere to turn, nowhere to hide. He pulled off your panties and tossed them aside. You were naked – completely – in front of him. Vulnerable in all senses of the word. He looked you over, sitting at the edge of the bed just scouring you with his eyes, as if he was memorizing every bit of you.

               Then he straddled you once again and you were surprised how much weight he had to him. He leaned over and kissed you, strongly. Before when you had kissed him it was just little sparks of blue magic but now… you kissed him and you felt a wave of energy press back against you. He slipped his arms around your back and lifted you, supporting you and he pushed his body up against yours and the energy set the nerves on your lips on fire. There was something so much deeper about this energy and his kiss. His emotions, his feelings, his memories were coursing through your mind as he kissed you – and suddenly you remembered everything.

               Like the shutter frame on a camera you felt repetitious memories pile on top of each other, mostly the same but each a little unique. As he held you in that passionate kiss, naked on his bed you felt every memory flood to your mind as you collectively understood who you were – who he was – what you were together.

               You remembered sitting on the edge of Hotlands together, tossing sticks and rocks into the lava and watching them flame up and sink.

               You remember spending hours walking through the woods by the ruins as he showed you the intricate puzzles that Papyrus had set throughout the years – very obviously out of the way that any humans would never cross.

               Listening to him sob as he explained to you there was an entire timeline where Chara won over your body and murdered absolutely everyone…feeling helpless and sympathetic as tears dripped down his face describing the weight of losing Papyrus.

               Teaching him how to make muffins while Papyrus was away for a week with Undyne and Asgore – Sans made you wear the apron naked and the muffins ended up burning.

               Going on a double date with Undyne and Alphys and being challenged by Undyne to a battle to determine who the better couple was. Sans sitting on the sidelines with a wide grin as he used his magic to deflect every one of Undynes attacks as you stood there smiling at her.

               Hearing him confess his feelings for you the very first time as he kissed you under the waterfall. Telling him you felt the same. Watching his eyes glow brighter as he pulled you into the water with him, kissing as the water fell all over your bodies.

               Watching scary movies with him and Papyrus. Having Sans have to sit in the middle because both you and Papyrus got too scared and needed someone to hold on to.

               Being woken up in the middle of the night because he was screaming and sweating in his sleep, soothing him until he woke up. Comforting him as he explained his nightmares to you.

               Making tea in the middle of the night after you both argued about him not telling you everything. Him coming downstairs and without a word hugging you and going back upstairs. Not feeling mad anymore.

               Seeing him for the first time a hundred times. Feeling as though you met him before but shaking it off as an impossible feeling.

 

               You pull away from his kiss, feeling complete for the first time in your life. You shake with happiness as he looks down at you with a confused expression. You put your arms around his back and pull him toward you, feeling his body press against you. That familiar body. That wonderful body. That incredible soul.

               “Show me your favorite trick.” You whisper in his ear, remembering the many times he had called it that, anxious to feel it now. He leaned back in surprise, his grin hesitant, unsure you know what you’re talking about. Feeling bright and new you take advantage of his hesitation and tackle him, pushing him down on the bed. You unzip his jacket and slide off his pants throwing them aside. No longer nervous, you ran your hands over his rib bones feeling both the insides and the outsides of them. He shivered but his eyes remained locked at you in amazement, as if he was too afraid to ask if you remembered.

               You lean on top of him, letting your soft skin rub against his smooth bones. Sans presses up to meet you, placing his hands against your back possessively. Your faces are barely an inch apart as he scans every part of yours for some hint.

               “Y-you…..do you….?” He can’t finish the sentence, too tired of being let down and too exhausted from starting over. You lean up close to the side of his head, kissing him tenderly and breathing for a moment before whispering in a low voice,

               “Everything. I remember everything.” You pull away and it warms your heart to see his expression, tears form in his eyes but he blinks them away as he pulls you to him. You smirk and kiss him tenderly once more before repeating yourself,

               “Come on now – show me your favorite trick.”

               Sans closes his eyes, smiling wide as a single tear of relief rolled down his face.  


	6. Plaguing Her Life With Incidental Puns

As the tear ran down his face you wiped it away gently, smiling down at him.

               “Come on please.” You plead, desperate to feel the way you know now you had hundreds of times before. He laughed – not his usual jokester chuckle, not his successful prank laughter – but a laugh filled with relief, short and sharp his laugh seemed to you as though this whole time since he met you he had been holding his breath and this laugh was his first chance to breathe. He leaned up to meet you and kissed you. Sparks flying around in your mind you push back against him. In between kisses he laughed the same way, sharp intakes of breath like he was drowning in happiness. 

               Your mind spinning and your lips still tingling from the sparks – he pulled away from you and closed his eyes. You leaned back instinctively – you were familiar with what he was doing. The entire room began to stir with energy as blue light swirled around you and him. The magic buzzed across his whole body for a moment before forming a thick member at the base of his pelvic region. As he opened his eyes slowly his right eye was lit – a swirling mix of blues. You took a moment to kiss his forehead gently before tracing across his whole body. You allowed your fingers to dip in between his bones and he shuddered, gasping a little. Every memory of feeling him before was safely secure in your mind and it just felt so pleasant to feel so complete. Running a finger along in the inside of his backbone you remembered how if you touched just a certain spot…..

               Moaning audibly, Sans squirmed at your touch.

               “That uh…that feels familiar,” he recovered, his voice a little hoarse. You kept on, running your nails along his rib bones and letting your hands drift to his pelvis. Sucking gently on a protruding hip bone you feel him press his pelvis towards you, aching for your touch. Eyeing his glowing cobalt penis you lay your hand firmly on the shaft. Sans leans up a little, desperate now. You stroke it firmly, enjoying the feeling between your fingers. It felt like a thick hose, pulsing with water and allowing the pressure to keep it stiff. Everything about his magic felt like water, now that you thought about it. You got a little closer and licked the tip of it with your tongue – sparks immediately showering your mouth with an electric sensation. He groaned a little.

               “I missed you so much.” He was about to sit up, but before he could you took the full length of the glowing cock in your mouth, stretching the back of your throat. He went limp and made a small involuntarily grunt. You bobbed your head back for forth, feeling the waves of his magic flow throughout your mouth and throat and spread slowly across your entire body. You felt his fingers caress your hair softly, his fingers twitching a little with every motion. The two of you pushing in tangent – he thrusted his pelvis gently at the same pace that you took his member further into your throat. You felt such a low burning fire in your chest at that moment – not just horniness but plain happiness. You loved him. You truly loved him. You were so glad you remembered.

               He gently pushed against your shoulder to tell you to get off for a moment. You popped his member out of your mouth, finding it had gotten larger since you first took it and it was swirling different hues of blue and sparkled much like the galaxy. You blinked and you were now laying on the bed, Sans on top of you caressing your hair tenderly.

               “I hate when you do that.” You giggled, staring up into his glowing eye. Staring deeply into your eyes he grinned.

               “No you don’t.” You laughed. It’s true. You didn’t.

               He leaned over and kissed your neck – sparks flying and tickling you in such a pleasurable way you couldn’t help but moan and squirm beneath his touch. His hand drifted across your body, exploring your warm skin, squeezing at your flesh. He brought his hand lower until he was teasing you at your entrance. He felt how wet you were and hesitated for a moment out of surprise, but kept kissing you quickly thereafter. With his middle finger he moved up and down, reaching up to rub momentarily at your clit. Watching you getting red faced and flustered at his motions he stopped kissing you to admire his work.  You kissed him passionately out of frustration, why was he stopping? He chuckled. Oh no.

               “Are you ready to be taken….” You shake your head, laughing. His smile widens from mischievousness.

               “Don’t say it. Don’t you DARE say it.”

               “to the…..” You give him a stern look. He hesitates dramatically, his blue eye pulsing gently and his middle finger drifting in and out of the entrance of your vagina.

               There’s a flash and you suddenly feel the entirety of his cobalt dick is inside of you, pulsing magic and sending a shockwave through your entire body. Involuntarily, you moan loudly riding out the waves of pleasure and tensing your vagina tighter around his member. As the sparkling nerves slowly fade out you can faintly hear him saying….

               “Bone zone.”  You open your eyes, exasperated to see him gleaming down at you – so intensely proud of himself. He takes a breath, just about to speak again –

               “Don’t you say any god damn thing. Fuck me. Just fuck me, PLEASE.” He laughs and thrusts once powerfully into you, rocking your hips and causing you to arch your back riding out the new wave of sparks flowing across your muscles. He thrusts again and again, gripping your thighs tightly and pushing himself deeper into you. Leaning forward a little he whispers,

               “……bone zone.” You groan at first from the pun and then he slams hard into you and you continue the groan from pleasure. One hand steady holding your hips he allows the other hand to feel you all over. Eyes closed you feel the repeated sensation of waves smashing into you and soft gentle touch exploring your torso sending shivers down your spine. His pace picks up and he uses both his hands to pull you closer and lift you up more.

               You can start to feel your orgasm rising as you feel him pulsing and pounding inside of you, you clench tight against him. Opening your eyes you see him staring at you with the softest expression, a few drips of sweat forming on his head. You both make eye contact as he slams into you faster and faster, sending wave after wave of pleasure echoing across your body.

               There’s a flash and suddenly you’re on your hands and knees and he’s getting you from behind pulling your hips in rhythm with his pulsating member. He’s reaching deeper and deeper from this angle, you can feel him slamming right up against your G-spot sending you over the edge. Moaning loudly you grab the sheets on the bed and start to push back hard against him and encouraged, he moves even faster as blue magic swirls all around you tensing up all your muscles and sparking your lips, nipples and clit. Your moan turns into a deep groan as you feel him cumming inside you, warm sparks adding to your already exploding body. As his pace slows and you start coming down from your orgasm you breathe heavily, pressing your hips up against him. Eventually you both collapse on the bed, tired and satisfied. A few moments pass and you open your eyes, panting. He’s lying on your chest, also breathing heavily, looking at you with wide eyes. You giggle a little – not exactly sure why, but you just feel so happy. He starts chuckling too, his voice low and hoarse from the orgasm and he holds onto you nuzzling into your skin.

               “I….I love you.” Smiling down at him you close your eyes.

               “I know.” After a moment you open them, looking at him lovingly. “I’m still annoyed about the bone zone though.” He chuckles weakly.

               “No you’re not.”

               “Yes I am! I’m never having sex with you again.” He winks at you, giving you one last brilliant grin.

               “Uhuh. Sure. Keep telling yourself that.” You giggle and let the silence envelope you both.

               You lift an arm weakly and rub his head, enjoying the smooth texture. You can feel yourself drifting off to sleep as an agonizing thought brings to back to consciousness. Will you still have nightmares? How long will they last? You try to fight the sleep enough at least to ask Sans but you literally cannot move a muscle; you’re deeply comatose from your post coital bliss. You feel the soft light of the room spin away from you as you fade away, listening to the breathing coming from the beautiful soul with his head on you.

               You will face whatever Chara puts you through to keep him next to you.

 

 Sans’ love fills you with determination.


	7. The Start

You bolted up from the bed, covered in sweat and tears once again, but this time a little more accustomed to the feeling. Sans was holding you instantly, his cool body feeling nice against your sweaty frame. “Are you....okay?” he asked, keeping you at arms length to watch your face. He seemed very intent on your response.

“I-I'm fine, Sans.” You took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Honestly. I'm fine.” You still held him tightly though and he could feel it. It was much easier to deal with these nightmares knowing their purpose – but the knowledge that they would occur so frequently was a little unsettling. You didn't want to seem weak in front of him; he had been dealing with these for so much longer than you and you had a feeling his were far worse.

He didn't say anything more, just pulled you into a comforting hug and gently ran his hands protectively across your back.

“Did...did you have one too?” You asked, eventually pulling away from him. He gave a nod and grabbed his jacket from off the floor, sensing that he was a little too pointy to cuddle naked. After zipping up he sat there, looking at you with solid concerned eyes. You laid back down, already feeling better. He was about to follow your lead when he leaped back up, alarm bells ringing in his head. He pulled up his basketball shorts and flung open the door. Confused and a little worried, you pulled his shirt on quickly and moved to the door frame.

“Sans?” His eyes were pulsing heavily as he stood there in the hallway staring at his brother's open door.

“Papyrus. He never leaves his door open. He never goes to bed without asking for a bedtime story. He's not back yet.” He checks in the room just to be sure, and he's back out a few seconds later clambering down the stairs searching for his shoes. “He better be at Undyne's.” He tried to say a second sentence but it choked in his throat, so instead he just repeated his last one. “He....he just better be at Undyne's.” As he found his first shoe and was on the hunt for the second you leaned over the balcony and tried to get his attention.

“Sans! Sans, we can just call Undyne.” You shook your cell phone for him pointedly. He seemed impatient as he sat down embarrassed and clearly worried on the couch.

“If she doesn't answer in the first call I'm going.” You leaned on the railing and dialed her number quickly.

Ring.......ring.......ring......ring.......ring.....

You could see Sans standing back up looking for his other shoe.

Ring....ri-

“Frisk?” A deep, exhausted woman's house yawned from other the phone.”What the hell do you want? It's the middle of the night!” Sans stopped and suddenly in a blink he's beside you, taking the phone from you.

“It's Sans actually. Where's Papyrus?” You heard her boisterous laughter even though you weren't holding the phone. Sans seemed relieved and he chuckled a little bit before thanking her, apologizing, and then hanging up. He shut the phone slowly, a smile on his face. He stood there for a moment before realizing where he was and handed the phone back to you.

“He's sleeping over there. He ate too much pasta and passed out on her couch.” You took your phone, walking back into Sans' room, and set it back inside on the drawer top. He followed, the little beads of sweat that had started to form were disappearing. You sat on the bed, wearing only his t-shirt smiling mischievously.

“Don't you mean he pasta-ed out?”

He flashed you a wide smile, playfully pushing you back onto the bed. He gave you a deep kiss, the sparks still tickling your lips as he pulled away and brushed the hair out of your face.

“What do you call a fake noodle?” You giggle, you've heard this one so many times from him.

“An impasta.” He chuckles, getting up off the bed and looking through his dresser drawers for something.

“If a noodle grew up in a rough neighborhood, what do you call it?” You rolled yourself up in the blankets, mentally exhausted but too hesitant to actually fall back asleep.

“Uhm....I don't know this one.” He pulls open the bottom drawer and sticks his hand far in the back, throwing you a wink.

“The spaghetto.” You smile, closing your eyes enjoy the feeling of simply being in his bed, in his shirt, in his house. The jokes were just icing on the cake. You open your eyes and see him pulling out what looks like a small journal. He sits down on the bed beside you, a shifty grin on his face.

“What do you and spaghetti have in common?” Surprised and confused you giggled, sitting up and holding onto his arm lovingly.

“What?” His right eye glowed faintly as he leaned close to you, speaking in a rough voice you recognize from after last nights sexual exploits.

“You both wiggle when I eat ya'.” Blushing you pushed him away, laughing mostly from embarrassment.

“You're terrible.” You manage to squeak out between laughs. After a moment you calm down and reassess. “And you don't technically eat me-”

“Eat you out- whatever.” He scratches his head, smiling wide. “The joke isn't perfect, sue me.” You laugh and get up from the bed, leaving his room and entering Papyrus' to grab your clothes which were finally dry. Back in his room you change, shyly aware that he was watching you undress and then redress yourself in a self satisfied way. He'd done this many times before, you recalled. He liked watching you change. He had said it was like having his own private stripper. You had smacked him at the time.

“What's the journal?” You ask finally as you finish buckling your pants and sit next to him on the bed. He pushed the book inside of his jacket and stood up, gesturing for you to follow him.

“It's...I'll show you in just a minute. But come on real quick I'm tired of being in this house. Let's go do something.” You grab your phone and check the clock. Almost 2am. You were once again, tired but unwilling to fall back asleep. Real life was much more pleasant than your dreams. You hurry after him, your heart light and happy to be with him again. Memories of late night adventures poured into your brain as you hopped down the stairs wondering where you might go. At the end of the steps it suddenly occurred to you why he had woken you up so late so many times – aching to talk and be with you.

Back then it had seemed so romantic – and true it still was – but knowing that it was also because he was reluctant to fall back asleep made you a little sad for him. You sit down on the couch and put your shoes on, he's at the door waiting patiently for you. You hop up and follow him out into the brisk cold night. He shuts the door and locks it, turning towards waterfall and checking to make sure you're still with him. You give him a bright smile and instinctively grab his hand – he twitches at the gesture at first but then embraces your hand tightly and pulls it a little further into his coat sleeve to keep you warm. You both walk silently, enjoying each others company in the dark street shuffling across the snow.

“Was your nightmare about Papyrus?” You ask abruptly, not completely sure where the idea came from but feeling it needed to be asked. His hand gripped you tighter as he trudged through the snow staring ahead.

“Uh....Yeah. It was. It....it usually is.” You thought for a moment as you both walked. He glanced at you, and his smile faded as he remembered his nightmare.

“Because....” You remembered the first night. “Because I....killed him?”

“Yeah.” He said quietly, sounding small – almost like a child. “The nightmares about Papyrus are usually the worst.” He goes to say more, to elaborate why but he catches himself. “I can't talk about it right now. Sorry. It hurts.” You hug him, stopping his trek through the snow and he slowly hugs you back.

“You don't have to talk about it until you're ready.” He takes a deep breath and gives you a genuine smile.

“Okay. Thank you.” You give him a goofy look and break out a new yorker accent.

“S'no problem, tough guy - Spaghettabout it!” For the first time in your entire memory of dating Sans time and time again – he groans at one of your puns.

“I've created a monster.” He says teasingly, kissing your forehead.

You giggle and hold his arm, leaning onto his shoulder.

“Damn right you did.”

 

 


	8. Waiting Your Turn

As you both walk peacefully through the passage, the snow starts to lessen until you reach the caverns where it stops completely. The night in the underground was only different from the day in that it did appear to be slightly darker and there was a continuous silence wherever you went. No insects chirping or shuffling of smaller animals – only the forces of nature made any noise. You both stopped at the entrance for a moment to mess with a few echo flowers and Sans' sentry station. Curious you stepped behind the counter, eliciting a sharp noise from Sans. Under the counter there was a sleeping bag and several books, as well as empty condiment containers, a few half eaten hotdogs and a knife.

“What are you doing with this?” You asked, picking up the knife examining it. Sans eyes shrunk in their sockets and a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. He seemed almost.....scared of you? You set the knife down gently on the counter. “Sorry. I was just curious.” He gave you a shaky fake smile and nodded. You knelt down so that you were almost laying on the sleeping bag and you saw on the underside of the counter there were intricate carvings. Most of them were just patterns, so detailed and geometrically pleasing, but a few were pictures.

Under one of them, a heart that twisted into a thorny vine at the bottom was labeled, “Frisk.” You sat there for a bottom, feeling guilty. Suddenly Sans was right next to you.

“I...sorry. That's kind of embarrassing.” You shrugged,

“I mean, I can understand it. In some timelines we fall in love and have sex, in others I murder your brother and everyone you care about. I think that elicits an angsty carving.” He chuckled.

“I guess so.” It was easier just to joke about it instead of harping on it for too long.

Both of you squatted there as you stared for a moment more at the carvings and it made you remember something from a few other timelines.

 

You remembered being in bed with Sans a few different times when he had brought magic to the tips of his fingers and traced these sames patterns into you gently, leaving glowing blue trails that shined light. It was usually after the sex, when things were calm and your body was tired. Feeling his cold, gentle touch – running all over your body, seeing such beautiful fascinating patterns, his soft expression as he concentrated on his art...

You missed it.

 

Snapping back to reality you stood up, Sans was waiting on the other side of the station, leaning on the counter.

“You done admiring my masterpiece?” He asked, flashing you a smile.

“Yea it just...reminded me of something.” You walked around the stand and started walking with him again. He stuck his hands deep into his pockets and looked around at the ceiling, watching the water drip to form stalagmites slowly.

“What's that?”

“Just some doodles I made as a kid. Nothing special.” You bumped against him jokingly. He chuckled but didn't look at you.

“Don't resort to violence just because you're jealous of my talent.”

“I would hardly say I'm jealous...” You teased, although you both knew he was talented. You walked down the long hallway, stepping through a stream of water running through the path.

“Exactly. A jealous person would never admit their jealousy.” You pushed him into the streaming water,

“GET DUNKED!”

You moved to tackle him, but he rolled over allowing you to drench yourself capturing nobody.

“What was that? Hm?” He had teleported out of the water standing over you. “Didn't those clothes just finally dry? You're so irresponsible, Frisk. I mean really.” He offered you a hand, grinning ear to ear. You took it, and then pulled him in with you. Laughing you both kept keeping the other down. He dodged you at every turn, muttering disapprovingly.

“Where did you learn your kidnapping skills? Papyrus?”

You both laughed heartily and nuzzled into each other, not caring about how cold the water was or how soaked you now both were.

Suddenly his smile wiped off his face and he teleported out of the water looking concerned. He pulled the journal out of his jacket checking the contents. He seemed relieved and turned back to you. Seeing you sitting splay legged in a puddle with such a confused look on your face he softly laughed. You got up from the puddle and looked down at your sopping clothes, seeming a little disappointed in yourself.

Sans lifted a hand buzzing with magic and the water shot out of your clothes in all directions, getting himself a little more drenched in the processes. He repeated it once again from himself, although this time directing the water to head straight down.

“That's new....I think.” You smiled, happy to feel warm again. He shrugged,

“Is it better?” You nodded and you both continued walking. He was walking a little faster now. Something was wrong.

“So uhm....” You worked to keep up his pace, “I know you said later but – whats the deal with the journal, honestly? Just tell me.” He kept walking for a moment and you stopped, a little annoyed. He was over the floating flowers before he noticed you weren't with him. He spun around, confused and then spotted you. He walked back, scratching his skull.

“I'm sorry, it's just....not the right time to talk to you about it. I was hoping later tonight-”

“This morning.” You corrected him. He gave a quick chuckle.

“Yeah. Later this morning I could talk to you about it, I just wanted to get somewhere-” He started to walk back but you pulled on his arm gently.

“Come on. I'm tired of all the secrets and dramatic withholding. Whats going on?” He took your hand silently and although you resisted at first he explained it would only be a minute. You both moved over the flowers and through into the wishing room. He guided you to the telescopes.

“Look in Frisk.” You smiled a bit, wary of your skeleton jokester.

“This doesn't have bruise paint on the ends of it, does it?" He shook his head with not even a smile. You looked through it, feeling him put his arms around you while you moved the scope around the room, viewing the sparkling rocks. It was beautiful, but nothing you hadn't seen hundreds of times before.

“I want to see the surface.”

You felt your blood chill. Pulling away from the telescope you looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. He smiled and sat down against the wall, patting the ground beside you. You followed his lead, still a little stunned.

“I don't know why you looked surprised. That's all anybody talks about – the surface.”

“Yea but you've never once mentioned it....in any timeline. I thought you didn't care.” He bunched up, looking once again very young and vulnerable. He turned away from you, a little ashamed.

“I didn't care when I thought it was impossible. The timelines kept resetting so the line wasn't going anywhere with Asgore only letting us migrate five at a time to the surface.”

“So what's wrong?” You asked, putting an arm around him, “We're all getting out of here eventually. You're scheduled next year, aren't you?” He nodded.

“But Frisk...I'm worried if we stay down here that the nightmares will get worse until, help it or not, you reset. And we're so close. We're so close! I have a theory that they can't reach us from the surface. Although the seal was broken when you defeated them, they are bound by the SAVE button and you've never SAVED above ground.” A new light was tingling in his eyes, something you rarely saw. “I just want to get it over with. I'm so...I feel like it's all going to be taken away from me any second. It's happened so many times to me before and it's really difficult to keep trying. I'm not sure that being above surface will stop the nightmares but god damn it I've got to try something. We're just so god damn close." His boney hands were clamped into fists. You leaned your head on his shoulder and massaged his skull.

“We can't cut in line. Asgore put up that policy for a reason. Too many monsters emerging at one time could be too obvious or alarming to the humans – but the list is narrowing down. Almost everyone in Hotland is gone besides Alphys and they're almost done with Waterfall this year. Five people every four months takes a while, Sans. It's been years - but it's almost over. We just have to be patient.” He shuddered at the word.

“I'm so fucking tired of being patient. I just want to go.”

You waited for a moment, thinking.

“I mean...” You pulled away from him, sitting on the ground, softly drawing with your finger in the dirt. “We could probably talk to Asgore, explain the situation. He might not believe us about the dreams but I think he knows a little about SAVE and either way he might regard it as a mental health issue.” Sans was quiet, the wheels in his head clearly turning.

“Or.....we could leave tonight. Just make a break for it while everyone is asleep. If anyone got mad we could explain it later. Ask for forgiveness not permission.” You felt a little unsure.

“I don't know Sans....if we got caught it might look suspicious. People might get spooked and all try to leave at once. Plus we don't have anything packed, or any plans to start a new life-” He grabbed your hands, passion in his voice and the light in his eyes glowing brighter than ever.

“We can go tommorow night. Pack everything up, we don't need a lot – think about it. What do you REALLY need from here?” It was true, you didn't own a lot and the things you did own could be easily remade or found. But you still felt icky.

“Sans what about Papyrus? What about Toriel? What about all our friends down here? What would they think if we ran away suddenly?” Sans slumped back down. You felt bad about bringing him down but they were valid questions.

“We can bring Papyrus with us. I wasn't ever planning on leaving him behind. And...I'll leave a note. Toriel, Undyne and Alphys are leaving sometime this year anyway, we'll see them soon enough.” He held your hand tight and pulled you close to him, begging you with his eyes.

“I'm not going without you. But I really think we should go. It might be our only chance to make sure you won't reset.”

You felt something stir inside yourself you hadn't felt for a long time. The yearning for adventure. You weren't sure what would be facing you on the other side of this decision or how difficult it might be – but the look in his eyes was fiery and you just couldn't help yourself.

You were filled with determination. He was filled with determination. You could feel it in the air.

“Okay.” You said, and for a moment his eyes shined brighter than the sparkling rocks above you.

 


	9. What If?

You could feel Sans' grip of you start to loosen as he drifted off to sleep. You waited a few minutes to make sure, but once you heard his heavy but paced breathing you felt confident. Sitting up on the bed you pulled the blankets tight around you and allowed yourself some time to think. Things were happening very fast now and you felt like you didn't really have much time to process. You could understand his eagerness, the nightmares he had been dealing with for years, watching his brother get murdered by the woman he loved...you understood it.

But what if being above ground didn't help? You looked down at him, his arms pulled tight to his chest, his breathing steady and low. He actually looked peaceful and relaxed. You would feel so guilty taking that away from him....

And yet...tommorow? Or technically today? Why couldn't it have been a week or a month? Give you some time to think it over at least.

You readjusted quietly, slipping out of the bed and into the hallway. You weren't going to get any more sleep anyways. Stepping carefully down the steps you make your way into the kitchen and started to make coffee. There was a slight draft in the house and you pulled your jacket tight around you, almost considering going back upstairs to put on Sans' other one.

Hopping up on the counter you allowed yourself to remember a day you had long since forgotten. The day you could've left.

 

You were just a child. Looking back you had no memory of where you were from or who your parents were...you just knew you felt loved in the Underground. When the barrier disappeared there were a few days where people went ballistic. They were clamoring to get out, so excited that their freedom was so close...and yet you were terrified of going through that door. Asgore offered to hold your hand, Toriel was encouraging you – asking if you'd rather be carried but you resisted. Something about leaving this place was upsetting to you.

And so a few months of waiting persisted. People were frustrated and aching for answers but Asgore and Toriel were hesitant. The entire reason they were placed down here was because humans feared them. Therefore they had to implement a better strategy than simply emerging.

After another week they had. Toriel would take a handful of some of the cutest monsters to the surface, hoping their softer appearance would prove less intimidating to the humans. It worked apparently. Toriel had met with a small village of humans and they appeared to be friendly. She warned them more monsters would be coming and they shouldn't be afraid. The humans advised her to build a seperate town in the woods so that the other humans wouldn't feel as though they were taking over the village. She agreed and with the help of a few townspeople they had built a small town.

You had seen her a lot in the beginning when you were still young but as time went on she got more busy with running the town and she now only came once a year. People were slowly evacuated as the humans got more used to having monsters around they brought out the more intimidating creatures. Sans and Papyrus were last on the list for more than one reason. Having walking skeletons – to which humans knew usually attributed to dead people – wouldn't be great to start off with.

You however were allowed to leave whenever you wanted. You were a human after all.

Toriel pleaded with you to be with her when she first went to the surface but you refused. You were scared.

Stories of people misunderstanding when seeing a monster with a human struck a chord with you. People would think you were being held captive. You thought of Sans. What would other humans think of you and Sans?

You held your head, so many thoughts and anxieties bubbling.

  
“Your coffee is ready.” Surprised you snapped up, the words breaking such a heavy silence. Sans was standing there sheepishly, holding your coffee. He held it out to you. You took it gently, trying not to display how worried about everything you were....but he knew. He always knew.

“I never meant to upset you.” He tentatively put an arm around you. “But we need to. I love this place – trust me, I do. But there is a new life waiting for us up there, and the worst thing that could happen is some people get mad we cut in line. Don't you want to see Toriel again?” You nodded. You truly did miss her. “I'll be with you. Papyrus will be with you. And everyone down here will be gone within a year. And I bet since the humans have been warming up to us Asgore will just let everyone go here soon, I mean geez its been like ten years hasn't it?” You shook your head,

“Way more than that. It took five years for anyone to be released besides Toriel and her original party. These things take time.” He shrugged.

“I don't want to do anything that will make you unhappy.” He looked to you, his white eyes pulsing a little. “Will this make you unhappy?” You took a deep breath.

“No. I'll be fine...but...” You gently brushed your hair behind your ear and looked back to him, “We actually don't need to sneak around. I'm allowed to leave whenever I want, and I'm almost positive Asgore would insist somebody come with me as an escort.” Sans seemed a little confused.

“You're...allowed to leave whenever you want?” You nodded.

“Why?” You laughed, spilling your coffee a little on your pants. You mourned the loss with a pouty face for a second because continuing, listing the reasons on your fingers.

“Number one, I'm a human so they probably won't be afraid of me. Two, I saved all of monster race. Three, I broke open the barrier...should I keep going?”

“Okay Queen Angel I get it, you're the best. Geez.” He flashed you a smile. “Soo....we just walk up there and leave?” You thought about it for a moment.

“I should meet with Asgore for lunch, I usually meet him anyways this time of the week, and then I'll bring it up to him. You can get everything ready with Pap-”

 

“HUMAN!” The door swung open and slammed loudly against the wall, you winced and Sans started beaming. The cold air immediately flooded the house as Papyrus stood triumphantly in the breeze.

“Um Papyrus? Can you close the door?” Papyrus looked surprised to see you in the kitchen as he shut the front door quickly.

“MY APOLOGIZES HUMAN, I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE ASLEEP ON THE COUCH!” He looked equally surprised at Sans. “BROTHER? WHAT ARE YOU DOING AWAKE AT THIS HOUR?”

“Sleepwalking.” He said calmly, putting his hands in his pockets. Papyrus was about to say something before he looked at Sans closer.

“NO YOU ARE NOT!” Sans shrugged.

“Then I guess I should back to bed, huh?” He looked at you and gestured upstairs.

“WHY ARE YOU TAKING THE HUMAN WITH YOU?” You blushed a little, before explaining that you liked to have bedtimes stories read to you too. Papyrus nodded in agreement, not seeming to realize it was 5 in the morning. As you and Sans left the kitchen he pulled out three containers of spaghetti and began to heat them up.

You both sat at the top of the stairs, listening to Papyrus hum and clank around in the kitchen.

“So...is that okay?” You asked, harping back on the other conversation. Sans smiled, his eyes dreamy, looking off into the distance.

“It sounds perfect. I'll talk to Papyrus, you talk to Asgore. I can pack up your stuff too, just leave me a list of what you need.” He turned to you, his face light and full of hope. “I've been dreaming of the surface for so long, Frisk.” You took his hand in yours, leaning up against him. You watched the snow drift by the window, listening to the sounds of passionate spaghetti smashing in the other room.

“I know.”

 

 

Sans went back to sleep, but you just laid there until morning officially came, graced by a slighter brighter darkness than before. The whole time you were nervous, a pit of uneasiness broiling in your stomach. You felt Sans twitch and cry out a few times in his sleep.

“I hope he's right about the nightmares.” You mumbled, rolling over to hold him while he slept.

What would the other humans think of you? You looked down at yourself.

Were you an attractive human? What exactly did other humans look like? There wasn't a lot of solid evidence laying around. You remembered seeing other people and you had a vague idea but it had been so long.

You curled up tight in the blankets.

You had so many fears. What if Sans saw how big the world was and just left you behind?

What if Toriel forgot about you?

What if....your real family had been waiting for you all this time? Did you want that? Would they want you?

Twisting and turning you felt yourself grow sweaty and anxious.

 

You felt a cold boney hand gently grab yours. You weren't sure if he was just barely awake, or he had been listening to you struggle for a while...it didn't matter.

You squeezed his hand tight and breathed calmly for a few minutes.

Eventually you felt yourself letting go of these concerns.

He squeezed your hand back.

You smiled a little to yourself.

Everything was going to be okay.

 


	10. How Could You Forget?

“Are you sure you're okay?” Sans asked for fifteenth time, both of you standing outside Asgore's castle entrance in the core. You nodded, as you had all the other times but couldn't bring yourself to speak. You were scared. It had been half an hour since you were supposed to go inside but your feet wouldn't let you. Sans sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets.

“I'll stand here with you as long as you want – but eventually you're going to have to go inside. You're just having lunch and tea with him. You'll bring it up, he'll say yes. There's nothing to be nervous about.” And yet....

It wasn't Asgore you feared. He was practically a father to you. You had grown up partially in his castle and partially in the ruins. He clearly cared for you, but he was distant. He had been hurt before by loosing his other children and it seemed he was afraid of getting too attached to you as well. It was his response that kept you from entering the elevator. If he said no you would feel devastated and relieved. If he said yes you would feel the same thing. Maybe if you just stayed outside here forever you'd never had to choose.

“Frisk? Oh you're here.” The elevator door opened and Asgore was standing there, looking a little crowded with how big he was, but all the same cheerful as ever. He turned to Sans and nodded, “Oh, hello to you as well Sans, would you like to join us for tea?”

“No thanks big guy, I've actually got plans for later, I was just making sure Frisk got here okay.” Sans winked at you and started walking away. You felt a piece of you was leaving as well. Asgore cleared his throat and stepped aside to let you on the elevator. After a few moments of hesitation you forced yourself to walk and managed to get inside.

The walk to the dining hall was sweet – as it usually was. You weren't nervous around him, you just got a little sweaty when you thought about the question you eventually needed to ask. Asgore on the other hand – seemed perfectly blissful and content.

“Sorry for being late, I uh...had to clean up after Papyrus this morning.” He chuckled.

“It's no bother at all. I was a little tardy myself, I got a little too excited for your visit and uh...” You both stepped into the dining hall and at the end of it three tea kettles were steaming and there were more than 20 or so cups of tea with bags ready sitting on the table, each a different flavor. You giggled. He was too sweet. The dining hall itself wasn't very large, the table was perhaps big enough to fit sixteen, but the tea still looked odd all huddled at the end, spaced out with care.

He watched you hover over all of them, before eventually choosing golden flower tea and pouring some water in. He sat down with a small smile and chose the same.

“I don't know why I always give you more options. You always choose the same one. Maybe I just like the idea of you not feeling pressured to do so.” He gave you a proud smile.

“Anywho, enough about the tea. How have you been? You seem a little disturbed today, my child.” He seemed only mildly concerned, but his soft expression might have been diluted due to his massive intimidating figure. You wrung your hands in your lap silently, unsure of how to start this conversation.

“No need. If you'd rather not speak of it then let's just move on.” He nodded knowingly and stood from the table, walking to the end to open some plastic containers of – guess what – spaghetti.

You groaned, laughing a little as you recognized it. Asgore looked disappointed.

“I'm sorry, do you not like spaghetti?” At that you laughed a little harder but shook your head to comfort him.

“No, no I do...just....Papyrus and Undyne-” his face brightened up,

“Yes! They brought this over for me. I've been trying to show them the proper way to make it but they are resilient learners..... I have, however, started to teach Undyne how to make my famous chili. Would you like a taste of that instead?” You nodded, so very tired of spaghetti at this point. Asgore left the room for a minute and left you to sip your tea, speculating.

What strange friends you had....

A twinge in your stomach reminded you of what you had to ask. You weren't ready to leave. It was safe and comfortable here. You took another sip of tea. Did they have tea on the surface? A little panic shot through you, when the concern lifted. Of course they did. Duh. They have flowers and tea leaves – much more than the underground. If anything there would be amazing tea that you've never tasted.

You stared down at the cooling cup in your hands.

But you only ever wanted golden flower tea.

“Aha!” Asgore proudly strode into the room, a bowl of steaming chili in his hands, “I made this last night, I just had to reheat it. It's my special recipe, I like to add some unconventional spices.” He winked at you and went back in the kitchen to get his own food.

You took a spoonful of chili and blew on it, trying a taste. It tasted great, but no more so than regular chili. Asgore came back in the room with his bowl, his face lighting up when he saw that you had tried a spoonful.

“Well? How is it?” He was too precious. For such an intimidating man he truly was soft in spirit and heart. You gave him an encouraging smile and took another spoonful.

“It's amazing! Thanks, Dad-”

You froze.

Asgore froze.

The chili seemed to cool off a little bit faster.

“Uhm. Asgore. Thank you so much, Asgore.” You shoved the chili in your mouth and tried hide how terribly you were blushing. You had never once called him dad before. You were just so distracted with trying to make him happy. You plunged deep into the chili, hunching over the bowl. How were you supposed to ask him that question now? Why did you have to mess up today?

Asgore was still frozen in position, an odd expression on his face. He sat down slowly, staring down at his food.

A few thick, silent moments passed. Asgore cleared his throat, spoon poised in his chili but he didn't seem to be ready to eat it anytime soon.

“You....can call me dad....if you want – that is.” He lifted the spoon a little, turning away from you, then set it down and looked back. “There's no need to be embarrassed. You have been like a child to me, and presumably I have been like a father. I just hadn't thought you...” He trailed off, finally taking his first bite. You didn't say anything for a while, you felt like you couldn't. There was silence as your spoons clanked against the bowl until you found horrifyingly that you were finished. There was nothing between you and talking.

Asgore picked up the dishes and disappeared into the kitchen. You drank the rest of your tea, knowing you had to do this.

You tried to pump yourself up. Do it for Sans. Do it for Toriel. Do it for yourself.

You took a deep breath.

You were ready.

 

Asgore returned and sat back down at his place, pouring you and then himself some more tea.

“You don't have to call me dad if you don't want to. It was an accident. I understand that.” You reached out and touched his hand gently. He pulled back a little, but not all the way. The contact had surprised him.

“Asgore....Dad....You helped raise me and no matter what I call you, I want you to know you're the best father figure I could've asked for.” His sad expression broke with a soft smile and he patted your hand gently.

“Thank you, Frisk. You have no idea how much that soothed my soul.” You felt a little better. It was all true. Well - except that his chili was average, but you felt you better leave that one out. You could do it now. You felt your heart pumping as you pulled your hand back and took a deep breath.

You can do this.

“I have something to ask you.” Asgore nodded, taking a sip of tea, glancing briefly out the window and smiling at some birds that happened to fly by.

“Of course. Proceed, my child.”

“I....” You took another breath, “I would like to leave the Underground. Tonight.” Asgore nodded once more, taking another sip and seeming undeterred.

“I was wondering when you were going to ask.” He smiled a bit, setting down the cup. “Although I had hoped it wouldn't be so soon.” You laughed a little and he seemed genuinely confused.

“...it's been over fifteen years since the border opened.”

“Has it? Hm. Time does seem to fly by these days. Almost all of our citizens are settled in Aboveground.” When you didn't ask he answered regardless, seeming happy with himself, “That's what I named the new city up there.” You suppressed a laugh.

“Hm. Very specific, I like it. How did that go over with Toriel?” He rolled his eyes,

“Badly.” He was about to go on a rant about that, but caught himself. “Sorry. But you wish to leave? Why tonight?” You found yourself unsure of that as well.

“Well....I just think its time. And when its time... y'know....”

It was a poor explanation but Asgore didn't seem to care.

“Very well. I will recommend that somebody else go with you. I don't want you falling into any more holes.” He winked at you and you found your heart bubble a little. You were going to miss him so much.

“I actually... Sans and Papyrus were who I was thinking of.” Asgore leaned back a little, thinking.

“Hm. We've made a lot of progress with the humans thus far. And far scarier monsters have been accepted with open arms....” He glanced at you, noticing how intent you were on his response. “Is there perhaps another reason you would prefer these two to go with you?” You felt your blush on your face and before you could respond he spoke again.

“Specifically Sans. Is there any reason he chose to walk you here?” He was teasing you but at the same time seemed a little protective. You took a sip of tea. Asgore laughed, a loud hearty chuckle.

“Oh child. Of course they can accompany you. However I will have to keep a closer eye on Sans from now on...” At this he seemed genuine and you felt a little happy and embarrassed that he felt such a fatherly protection of you. You nodded. There it was. You had permission. You didn't feel as awful as you thought you would..... but now, sitting here with Asgore...it made you wish you didn't ever have to leave.

“What time shall I expect you to see you off?” He broke your train of thought and you covered it up with a small smile.

“Um. Is 6 hours from now okay?” He nodded.

“I'll pack you somethings to remember me by until I get out there with you all.”

“Okay... I'd really like that.” With that you both drank some more tea spent the afternoon wandering the garden, talking about when you were a child.

The same as with Sans you started to remember every breakfast and lunch meeting you had with Asgore since you were a child, since you lived in the castle with him.

They were all gentle memories, very soft and instructive.

He would discipline you sometimes if you spilled or broke something, but he was never harsh.

You remembered watching him cringe as Undyne and Alphys introduced you both to anime, and privately afterward he disclosed that he did not find any part of it appealing.

You remembered falling asleep next to him watching some old cartoons.

How had you ever forgotten?

As he talked about proper care of flowers, and how excited he was to see the variety they had on the surface he found yourself missing him before he was even gone.

But you needed to go.

And in a year or so he would be with you again, free in the sunshine of the surface.

You watched him as he carefully watered his beautiful golden flowers.

You made a mental note to start a garden.

 

 


	11. Goodbye for the First and Last Time

Asgore walked you to the elevator, thanking you for a wonderful afternoon and soon you were alone, the gentle hum of the elevator calming you.

Alone for a second that is.

Sans transported inside, but seemed to forget that elevators move - transporting himself to where the floor was a moment ago and slamming his head on the ceiling. He clattered to the bottom, rubbing his skull but grinning widely at you.

“Are you okay?!” You bent down to help him up as the elevator dinged at the bottom. He hopped up, still smiling. You smacked him, “Why didn't you just wait till I got the bottom? It takes like five seconds!” Sans shrugged.

“What did he say? You seem happy.” When you didn't say anything he added. “Although that could be for either one, huh?” He was clearly excited and nervous....you had never seen him like this. It made you happy.

“He said yes.” You smiled at Sans, who punched the air as soon as the words escaped your lips and then drew you into a keep, passionate kiss. The sparks flew around your lips and your entire body felt electrified. You shuddered involuntarily. Sans pulled away from you, “What – did I surprise you?” You giggled, gently touching your lips with a single finger, the sparks still bouncing around visibly.

“You could say I was.....shocked.”

His eyes grew brighter and he kissed you once again, one of his arms supporting your back and the other running his hand softly through your hair. He pulled away from you, still clearly excited but a little embarrassed. You felt dazed and high from his affection. You stumbled a little and he held you steady.

“You're welcome.” He winked at you.

You swatted at him, straightening yourself out.

“How did it go with Papyrus?” His smile faded a little.

“Papyrus....didn't really understand why. He refused to go against protocol but since you have Asgore's permission I'm sure he'll be excited.” His face softened as he looked away from you.

“Geez. I don't deserve you, Frisk.” You put your arm around him as you both started walking back through the core.

“Hey now – where's this coming from? You know that I love you.”

“Yes but I've asked so much of you-”

“Sans you've done nothing but sacrifice your sanity silently for over a decade. If anything, I don't deserve you. So lets just both be undeserving and settle for each other.” He chuckled, but still seemed unconvinced.

“Whatever you say, boss.” You smiled over at him. He seemed uncharacteristically giddy.

“So what happens now?” You asked, a little shaken from everything. He stuck his hands in his pockets and thought about it.

“Well, I guess we'll pack everything up and get ready to leave.”

“I thought you were supposed to be packing while I was talking to Papyrus.” He shrugged,

“It took longer than I thought it was. Papyrus is such a bonehead.” You groaned while Sans laughed at his own joke.

 

After you had packed up all of Sans' things, which didn't take very long - his possessions were mostly just a bag of books, some clothes and little knick knacks here and there. Oh, and of course a LOT of socks – you had both ventured to the Ruins to pack up your things. Walking through the house, though you had been there just three days before, everything seemed ancient and mysterious. You took in every sight you could, trying to memorize the place you had spent so much time as a child. You glanced at the reading chair, empty and neglected and found yourself missing Toriel more than you had in years. You chose a few books off the shelf, Toriel's favorites, and stored them for later. Then Sans followed you to your room.

“So this is where the magic happens, huh?” He walked over to your desk and glanced at a few of the writings, reading one out loud. “I'm not sure how I feel about him. We've been friends for so long, but I can't help my thoughts from constantly drifting to us being so much more....” He gave you a look.

“Wow, you really had the hots for me, huh? Is the passion gone now that you know?” Blushing, you reached over and crumpled the papers.

“Keep it up and there might not be any passion left, mister.” Sans smiled widely and teleported to the top of your bookcase, laying down seductively at the top.

“Oh there will be passion. I'm so full of passion you can't even reach me. Get on my level, girl.” You rolled your eyes light heartedly and gathered some of your possessions, throwing them in some backpacks. Sans watched you, laying on his chest, head in his hands. You reached for a few shirts in your closet and with a blue flash they flew across the room and hung in the air a little. You glared at Sans. His right eye glowing he chuckled and with a quick gesture flew the clothes back to you.

“Is this what you're going to be like up in the surface? Because if that's the case I might just want to stay down here.”

In a blink he was next to you, smiling wide and trying his best to look apologetic.

“I'm sorry.”

“Mhmm. Just carry this for me.” You handed him the bags and filled them with the rest of your stuff.

“Is that it?” He asked after a moment. You didn't say anything. Looking around the room, so barren and yet so full of memories. You wished it was possible to take every little piece of it with you. You sighed.

“Yep. Lets go.”

 

You had both headed back to the house where Papyrus was packed and ready, nearly bouncing up and down from excitement as you both walked through the door. All his bags were organized and matching in their skull and bones pattern.

“SANS! IS IT TIME TO LEAVE YET?” Sans chuckled and patted Papyrus on his way to the kitchen.

“Not yet, bro. I still have one last thing to take with me.” Sighing, Papyrus turned on the television and tuned into a Mettaton program. After deciding Papyrus was properly distracted, he leaned behind the fridge, pulling it out just a bit and removed a key. He walked back out the front of the house, you went to go with him but he grabbed your arm stopping you.

“There's....something I need to do, okay? I just need to do this one alone. I'm sorry.” You nodded, a little confused but understanding. He closed the door and you sat down next to Papyrus.

“Are you excited about the surface Papyrus?” Papyrus paused the show and turned to you, his animated figure expressing every emotion as he talked.

“INDEED, HUMAN. AT FIRST I WAS RELUCTANT, I WAS NOT ABOUT TO BREAK THE RULES THAT ASGORE ESTABLISHED BUT.....” He drifted off, a small smile growing across his face, “IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. THE SURFACE HAS SEEMED TOO UNREAL TO ME, HUMAN. WHAT IS IT LIKE?” You hesitated, honestly you didn't have a lot of memories of before you fell, but he interrupted you before you could speak.

“ARE YOU GOING TO BE LIVING WITH US WHEN WE SETTLE WITH THE OTHERS?” At this question you also felt a little unsure. Were you? Would you have to build your own house? Is that something Sans would be okay with? What was it going to be like living up there....

“OF COURSE YOU ARE! NO NEED TO DECIDE IF WHETHER OR NOT THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GRANT YOU PERMISSION. I FEEL GREAT AFFINITY FOR YOU, YOUNG HUMAN. YOU ARE TRULY ONE OF MY MANY BEST FRIENDS.” He pulled you into a strong hug, you hugged him back tightly. Feeling you were hugging tighter Papyrus felt the need for competition and squeezed you even tighter.

You quickly patted his back to try to get him to release you. Papyrus quickly pushed you off, afraid he had hurt you.

“MY APOLOGIES, HUMAN. I WAS WORRIED I HAD HURT YOU. I AM QUITE POWERFUL YOU KNOW.” You giggled.

“I know Papyrus...” You both watched Mettaton re-runs for a while before getting a little worried about Sans. You all were supposed to leave in ten minutes and he still hadn't seemed to be coming back anytime soon. You stood up from the couch and put on your coat, glancing out the window. He still wasn't there.

You stepped out into the street feeling an odd sense of familiarity. The street lamps flickered and you felt your pulse rise.

The first nightmare.

This was the scene.

You took a deep breath and walked around to the back of the house. You weren't going to let Chara get the best of you.

“Sans?” Your voice wavered a little bit as you walked around the corner.

There was no response.

The shed door was cracked open, light streaming in a solid line onto the snow. You could heard small muffled noises coming from inside.

You pushed it wider gently, adjusting your eyes to the sudden brightness.

The room was the same as before. A linoleum looking texture covered the floor, there was a workbench, a few drawers in the side of the wall and a giant machine – but it wasn't covered up with a tarp anymore.

Sans was sitting on the edge of the device, a screwdriver in one hand and a handful of screws in the other. He was talking to himself, a muffled series of mumbles really. He kept trying to take apart this one piece, a small glass box encased protectively with a lot of metal. Inside the box was a glowing green orb, pulsing slowly it reminded you of something....Sans' eyes...

He couldn't get the last screw out and angrily he slammed the screws and the tool down on the floor, his right eye glowed and he focused his hand on the nail. It spun rapidly in the socket before shooting out and pinging against the wall. Sans quickly grabbed the glass box and placed it in his bag, still breathing heavy as his eyes faded back to normal. He set the bag on the table and rooted through the drawers, pulling out multiple papers and what looked like some pictures. He shoved them all messily in his bag. Then he got to the last drawer and he seemed hesitant for the first time.

You felt a little guilty spying on him but you'd never seen this room before besides your dream, you were curious at what he was doing in here.

He knelt down, almost religiously to the final drawer. Holding his breath he pulled it back and pulled out a single notebook. It was thick and seemed to be stuffed with random papers. Sans closed the drawer and seemed to forget he was supposed to be in a hurry. He set the notebook on the floor and opened it, eliciting a sharp intake of breath before you saw his eyes immediately water. He flipped through the pages, although to you it didn't seem like he could take it. At each page he would give a laugh and then a few tears would drip down his face.

You wanted to console him, but watching him in his solitude made you feel so uninvited to this personal moment. After just a few pages he couldn't stand it any more and he shut the book, holding his head up with his hands, tears streaming down his face. A few minutes passed and you felt increasingly guilty at hiding and watching him during this painful moment.

He slowly raised his head, wiping his tears with his hands and stood up, placing the notebook tenderly in the bag. As he was making sure everything was in place you backed away from the door, racing around to the front hopefully before he saw you.

You sat on the steps outside, realizing a moment too late that he would be able to see your footprints. You were hoping he would be too emotional.

“Frisk?” You looked up, Sans was standing there, watching you, his eyes drifting along the marks in the snow.

“Did....Did you see....?” You felt your mouth go dry.

“I was only just checking on you, once I saw you were okay I turned around and decided to wait.”

He gave a small smile.

He didn't believe you.

He knew when you were lying.

He shrugged, clearly a little embarrassed and walked over to you.

“Its okay. Just don't tell Papyrus.”

He walked past you, still sitting in stunned silence on the steps. You heard him and Papyrus banter from inside the house behind you.

“SANS! YOU ARE LATE! THE HUMAN AND I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR AGES FOR YOU TO RETURN!” Sans' chuckled but you could tell it was forced.

“Sorry bro, just lost track of uhm...time.”

“WELL GET A WATCH! COME ON, WE MUST MAKE HASTE! I WISH TO SEE THE STARS!” Standing up you joined them and grabbed your bags from the floor. Papyrus filed out first, bursting one last time through the window. Sans sighed,

“I guess I won't have to worry about repairs anymore, huh?” He glanced at you, you gave him a tender smile. “It's okay, Frisk. Just don't lie to me, alright?” You nodded.

You walked over the door, waiting for him. He stood in the center, bags in his hands and on his back, staring all around him at the house.

“Are you okay?” You asked, about both before and now. Sans didn't answer for a moment, he was turning around slowly, taking everything in.

“Yea. Yeah. I'm fine. I just really hope this is the only time I say goodbye to this place. These are all memories I haven't had before. For the first time in years I'm building something new....it feels refreshing. And yet... I have no idea what to expect.” You came back inside a little bit, walking over to him.

“I know how you feel....but it will be okay. This is the only time you'll have to say goodbye. I promise.” He gave you a genuine smile and it made you feel better. Also urgent. You all were really late.

“SANS!!! HUMAN!!! HURRY UP!” You and Sans laughed quietly, he still seemed stuck in the middle of the room.

“Come on.” You grabbed his free hand and gently guided him to the door.

“Let's go see the stars.”

 


	12. Where You Came From

When you finally arrived at Asgore’s castle it was clear he had been waiting a while. A small pile of used tea bags were piled on a teacup plate. He had also equipped his reading glasses and settled in with a nice book. Upon your arrival he calmly placed his bookmark within the pages and set it aside.

               “I was beginning to wonder if you all were going to show. So very glad to see you all tonight, I wish I could be joining you.”

“VERY SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, SIR.” Asgore chuckled and waved a hand at Papyrus.

“Oh no need for apologies, I was just commenting.”

There was an awkward silence as you, Sans and Papyrus shifted your belongings uncomfortably. You all sat down at the table after a moment of hesitation, Asgore didn’t seem to be getting up anytime soon. Sans sat in the seat next to you and Papyrus sat across the table. Asgore seemed to take note.

               “I have been to the surface a few times….and I must say it makes staying down here quite frustrating.” Asgore trailed off for a moment before smiling and pouring everyone a cup of tea.

               “You’ve been to the surface?” You genuinely hadn’t known that before. You supposed it seemed obvious, as the King he would of course feel compelled to examine where his people were going to begin again.

               “Only a few times. Mostly just to meet up with the settlers and discuss certain technical aspects of moving up there…but it’s truly intoxicating. I was almost compelled to release everyone a few years ago out of impatience but our relationship with the humans occasionally strains and we don’t want to do anything to alarm them.”

               There was another moment of silence. Asgore finished his tea and gazed out the window. Sans was playing with the tea bag in his cup until he accidentally broke the bag. When Papyrus wasn’t looking he switched drinks with him. Not that either of them were drinking the tea.

               “Well I suppose I can’t keep you here forever.” Asgore gave you a small grin, although he seemed a little sad. He pulled something out of his cloak. It was a small brown package wrapped in twine.

               “Just something to help you get started on the surface.” He stood up and walked through the door to the final hall. “Follow me, please.” You all stood up from the table. At the last moment Papyrus decided to chug his tea before noisily spitting it out and getting tea leaves all over the table. He glared at Sans who became very interested in the texture on the floor.

               “Come on, you guys.” You encouraged, picking up your bags and following Asgore. You each followed a little behind him as he turned into the throne room and entered the final hallway. You felt your heart beat a little faster as you saw the door. Flashes from your childhood hit you and you remembered being terrified of Asgore for a few moments – but it passed just as quickly.

               Sans was looking at you with a soft expression, as if he knew what you were thinking about and was checking to see if you were okay. You gave him a smile and he relaxed, looking back at Asgore.

               “It’s going to be nighttime. However, it will seem brighter than any night we have here in the Underground. Even still – it’s going to be a little hard to see once you’re down in the woods, so I recommend sighting the town from the height of the mountain. I also made you a map for if you got lost… just in case.” He handed Papyrus the map and Papyrus poured over it, holding it delicately and with purpose. “Now….with that….are you all ready?” In turn you each nodded. Asgore sighed.

               “Goodbye my friends.” He turned to you, “Goodbye Frisk, I’ll see you in a year or so.” You instinctively went to hug him and he lifted you up. You felt a little embarrassed that he still hugged you like a child but deep down you didn’t mind it. He pressed you close to him and you could tell he loved you more than you had ever thought.

               “Goodbye Dad, it won’t be too long. You’ll be with us before you know it.” He chuckled and after a tender moment he set you down. You stepped back a little bit and found Sans and Papyrus looked very uncomfortable witnessing such a private moment. Sans was looking at the ceiling, hands in his pockets and Papyrus was pretending to read the map upside down.

               Asgore coughed, he too was a little embarrassed. He walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it.  
               “Alrighty then. Enough of the goodbyes. Please be safe…..farewell.” He nodded to everyone and then retreated down the hallway. Papyrus leaped up and was the first through the door. Sans readjusted his bags over his arm and shoulder and slipped his free hand into yours. Smiling nervously, you squeezed his hand as you both walked through the door and stepped into a dark dirt tunnel.

The tunnel was perfectly circular so the floor was a little uneven at points, and it progressed for quite a little while. The end was visible from the beginning, a small circle of blue light steadily growing closer. The sounds of your footsteps crunching on the dirt and dead leaves echoed around the path and you found your heart beating even faster. Sans gave you a wink and reopened his eye to have the right one glowing blue. All the luggage started to float and in a quick motion Sans pushed them quickly to the end of the path and stopped them.

               “Why didn’t you do that in the first place? It would’ve been much easier than carrying them.” You laughed as Sans shrugged.

               “It’s still me carrying all that weight, just the magic makes it easier. This was one shot kinda deal.” Then a mischievous look stole over his face. Sans slowly removed his hand from yours without saying anything. You both kept walking for a few moments before out of nowhere he started running to the end of the tunnel, shouting from over his shoulder,

               “Last one out is a rotten egg!”

               Papyrus immediately started bolting to the end, his knees flying comically high as he caught up almost instantly and then passed his brother. Laughing, you started jogging – knowing you would be last but not really caring.

               You made it last to the end, laughing and breathing heavily.  The two brothers had stepped over the luggage and were staring in awe at the world around them. As you emerged from the tunnel a swirl of beautiful vibrant colors assaulted your senses. You felt your hands drop involuntarily to your sides as you gazed at the night sky. A rich deep shade of velvet, it looked soft and transparent as the stars twinkled like shattered diamonds above the world. The sky bent at the curve of the world and from there you could see land for what felt like thousands of miles. A vast forest of gigantic oak trees expanded from the base of the mountain to as far as the eye could see, some of the closer trees were so tall you could see them swaying in the breeze even from your height. There were a few clearings in the forests, one was massive and a few clumps of villages surrounded what looked like a smaller mountain but what after a few moments adjusting to the light you realized was the largest castle you had ever seen.

               A few of the clearings were empty, some had villages – very small and scattered – but one, all alone in the middle of the thickest part of the forest was larger than all of the others – besides the castle one of course – and it had buildings you faintly recognized.

               “ABOVEGROUND!” Papyrus shouted excitedly, apparently seeing it at the same time you had. He referred to the map and found a route how to get there. As he calculated the different paths to take, you sat down on a clump of rocks and Sans did the same. He opened his mouth as if to say something but lost his nerve.

               You both stared at the land in front of you, bustling with activity even at night. The trees would rustle every now and again, the chirping and singing of all kinds of animals called out across the mountain and lights from all the villages twinkled. From so high up above it all, you felt it was still unreal, as if you were just hovering above an intricate oil painting.

               “Now I understand why you’re so beautiful.” Sans said quietly, still gazing around him – up at the stars then sweeping across the terrain. “This is where you came from.”

               You felt your heart twinge at his words. You reclaimed his hand and pulled it close to you, looking deep into his eyes. He looked away from you, unable to make eye contact. You pulled his chin back, making him.

               “You came from here too.”

               You leaned in and kissed him passionately, feeling him let go of the insecurities he had been harboring and kiss you back.

 

               “AHEM!”

You and Sans pulled apart and spun around, completely forgetting that Papyrus was right behind you.  He had his arms crossed, the map a little crumpled up in them.

               “I SEE YOU HAVE CHOSEN SANS AS YOUR NEXT DATE, HUMAN!” Papyrus tossed the thought around in his head for a moment. “I SUPPOSE IF YOU COULD NOT HAVE ME, YOU HAD TO SETTLE FOR THE NEXT BEST THING. I APPROVE OF THIS RELATIONSHIP! NOW WE CAN BE EVEN CLOSER FRIENDS!” He ambushed the two of you in a big hug and you giggled, feeling a little embarrassed but pleased that Papyrus didn’t mind.

               “HOWEVER. IF YOU WOULD POSTPONE THE DATE FOR NOW, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO REACH ABOVEGROUND BEFORE MORNING.”

Sans scratched his head, visibly blushing. You all gathered your things and made your way down the mountain. It was a rough descent; the rocks were haphazard and carrying all your bags made your balance difficult to manage. On more than one occasion you slipped horribly but was either caught by Papyrus’ long arms, pulling you back onto the path – or Sans’ magic, holding you steady and bringing you back from a cliffside.

You faintly remembered Asgore’s joke about you falling into another hole. You could kind of see his point.

After what seemed like forever, you were covered in sweat and dirt– but you had finally made it to the base of the mountain. Stepping onto the slope that eventually turned into the lushest dark green grass you’d ever seen, you took a deep breath and realized that the air actually smelled sweet here.

Following Papyrus you inhaled a few more times, the forest smelling of morning dew and oak. The sun was starting to rise – or at least you could assume so. The sky was still a rich dark shade of purple, but through the trees you could spy lighter shades of blue and orange starting to grow from a very small point at the curve of the world. The light would shine through the leaves in the forest and it looked like the most beautiful stained glass reflections you had ever seen.

Stepping through the thick brush was surprisingly easy. From above, the trees seemed to be on top of each other, but on the same level as them it was clear that they had thick trunks and long extending branches – the trees themselves didn’t take that much space. Winding through the woods you followed Papyrus and his map – with Sans checking his work every so often to make sure they wouldn’t get lost.

It was hard to make progress too, as it was difficult to resist stopping to admire everything new that you hadn’t seen before. Sans walked a little ahead of you, so deep into his own thoughts. His hands gently felt the bark on every tree he passed, and occasionally he would stop to squint and smile at a bird perched high in a tree or examine a bush of flowers growing casually on the forest floor.

You felt a light sensation in your heart. He was truly happy. Everything was new to him – no more repeating memories. To be able to give him that gift and to be able to witness the same experience for yourself? You felt very complete inside. As you stepped heavily through the tall grass following the skeleton brothers, you felt the sun rise ahead of you and the mountain fade behind you.

You felt happy.

You felt new.

You felt free.


	13. Apples, Magic, and Humans

               The walk through the woods was relatively quiet. Each of you suddenly felt so overwhelmed by all the stimuli – especially the sun which kept rising as you moved through the trees, bathing the foliage around you in a golden tint.

But suddenly there was a moment where Papyrus stopped. Sans and you had been used to the automatic motion that it took you both a second to register why.

               There was a human crossing your path ahead of you, wearing dark green and beige clothing with rough looking bag slung over his shoulders. He climbed halfway up into an apple tree, casually plucking the fruit off of the branches and placing them delicately in his bag. The three of you hid slightly, watching him. When he was apparently finished he dropped down from the tree, landing with a soft thump on his feet. As he stood he pushed his messy blonde hair out of his face and you could all see him a little bit clearer. He seemed to be a little older than you, with skin far tanner and freckles spattered evenly across his cheeks and nose. He assessed the woods around him, not appearing to be suspicious but doing so purely because the beauty appealed to him.

               After adjusting his bag around his shoulder he took off in the other direction, slowly picking an apple out of his bag and taking a bite. You, Sans, and Papyrus stayed still until he faded back into the woods. When he was out of sight you all emerged and kept walking forward.

               The first human you had seen in years.

               It was a complex experience.

               “He was so….tan.” You looked down at your hands and your arms, feeling a little bit too pale. Sans shifted his bags over his shoulder and took your hand in his.

               “You’ve been underground most of your life. You haven’t seen the sun since you were a child – but that doesn’t mean you’re any less beautiful.” You smiled at him softly. You weren’t looking for compliments – but Sans always knew how to make you feel better. He plucked an apple from the tree as you both passed it and offered it to you. You declined and he put it in his bag.

               “YOU ARE PERFECT, HUMAN.” Papyrus said without tearing his eyes away from the map, although he truly was speaking out of sincerity. “I FIND IT ADMIRABLE THAT YOU ATTEMPTED TO MAKE YOUR SKIN TONE AS IVORY AS POSSIBLE TO EMULATE YOUR HERO – THE GREAT AND POWERFUL PAPYRUS.” You chuckled and stepped up and over a fallen tree – and bumped into Papyrus who was jumping with giddiness.

“LOOK!” He pointed to a clearing just a small walk away from where you all were. From the mountain top it had seemed so small…but being here it appeared gigantic. There were plenty of smaller houses and buildings but there were also a few large buildings that towered over eight stories high. There was a small picket fence gate that surrounded the town, which honestly looked like more of a city at this point – everything looked so official and so organized. You all walked a little faster to the edge of the clearing.

Finally out from under the canopy of trees you felt a pleasant cooling breeze drift through the field. Sans had closed his eyes for a moment as he enjoyed the feeling. You all walked up to the gate for the town and Papyrus held it open for you to go first. You felt so excited and anxious walking through that at first you didn’t notice the freezing sensation in your feet. You figured you were just nervous again and you giggled a little uncomfortably back to the skeleton brothers. A familiar warm sparking sensation traveled from your feet slowly up to your hips.

When you tried to move backwards you found you also could not. Sans moved over to you and passed through the gate without a problem.

“Are you okay?” He asked, clearly aware of your struggle.

“DO NOT BE NERVOUS HUMAN!” Papyrus came to your other side, also unimpeded. “YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS HERE!”

“No Papyrus, I’m not doing this on purpose…I can’t move my feet. It feels like…” You glanced up at Sans guiltily. “It feels like magic.” Papyrus squinted, confused.

“HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAGIC FEELS LIKE?” You glanced again at Sans, who wiped away a drip of sweat. There was an awkward moment of silence where neither of you answered him. He looked impatiently between the two of you before Sans attempted to use his magic to free you. It didn’t work.

“Wow. Whoever cast this was really powerful.” He scratched his head sadly, turning to look at the bustling town of all his friends and fellow monsters. They were so close. “Maybe somebody in town will know something about it.”

“You’re just going to leave me?” You asked, sounding a little harsher than you meant it to be. You did feel a little abandoned however, despite knowing neither of them would actually be so heartless. Sans took your hand and shook his head.

“I’m worried this is an anti-human protection measure. I’m not sure what the long term effects might be.” You could understand his concern. But you still felt a little hurt. You both looked over at Papyrus who was still annoyed that you both still hadn’t answered the question.

“NO BUT REALLY – HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAGIC FEELS LIKE?” Sans gave the rest of the bags to Papyrus and told him to follow him.

“Listen, Frisk – I’m going to find Toriel immediately and leave our things with Papyrus so there isn’t as much to deal with at once. I’m going to be right back. Five minutes – tops. I promise.” He took both of your hands in his and squeezed them tight. He kissed you quickly and then broke off into a quick stride behind Papyrus. You watched them disappear down the street behind a small group of gossiping teenage monsters.

You were alone.

You watched the monsters go about their day, a few of them stared at you strangely – some of them took pictures on their cell phones – but most didn’t notice you. Twisting to look behind you, you felt uneasy knowing you had your back to an entire world that you didn’t know about.

“Are you stuck?”

You yelped a little from surprise and turned back around to find the blonde human from earlier standing in front of you. How the hell did he get there without you noticing?

He was standing so close to you.

You felt a little insecure.

This was your first time meeting another human that you could recall. When you didn’t say anything he chuckled a little at the ground and then asked again.

“Uh…are you stuck? I’m gonna guess so.” He had a rough but pleasant voice. He offered you an apple from his bag, you shook your head declining it. He laughed again.

“No, listen this is how you get unstuck. It’s the reason I’m not frozen right now.” He gestured again and you took it suspiciously. You slowly bit into it, trying to avoid the intense eye contact that this human was so determined to have.  Suddenly this surge of adrenaline shot through your body and you felt sparks bursting from your heart.

You were scared and your hands started shaking a little, so much so that you almost dropped the apple. The human leaned over and caught it though – sensing that would happen. The warm fuzzy sensation in your legs disappeared as you stepped forward feeling so powerful. You took a deep breath wide eyed and looked at him.

“What the hell is in that apple?” He laughed harder and gestured to sit up against the fence,

“You’re not from around here, are you?”  You sat down slowly next to him, making sure you kept your space. He sat down in a smooth motion, leaning his arms up against his knees. You wanted to mention who you were, where you were from – but the words wouldn’t come.

Not to mention that you were still suspicious of him. How had he gotten past you so quickly? Why had he been gathering those special apples earlier? But you didn’t say any of that. Instead you just shrugged. He ran this hand through his hair and sighed.

“I guess for someone new this place seems pretty crazy huh?” You smiled but didn’t say anything.

“But no matter where you’re from you’ve heard of the uh….the war of humans and monsters, right?” You nodded. Turns out you could find all the information you wanted without saying a word. He looked out onto the town. “It was an awful scene, reading over the history books. But about fifteen years ago a group of these guys came up from under a mountain nearby and started setting up shop.” He grinned, although it seemed mostly to himself. “They’re truly a diverse people, it’s been fantastic getting to know them.” He started to get a little quiet.

“But they still don’t trust humans.” He paused and then shrugged admittedly, “I can understand why of course. But the magic is a little frustrating to get used to. You’re lucky I came along.” He held up the bitten apple. “When they first got here a lot of the monsters had cremated family members they wanted to honor, so a few of them decided to plant trees over the buried ashes so that they would live on in the surface….” He paused for a moment. “I’m not exactly sure how – but the sustained life of the tree must’ve allowed some of their magic to seep into the apples. That’s all I’ve really figured out so far.” He paused once again, allowing you a chance to speak. When you didn’t he coughed a little uncomfortably and continued.

“Where are you from anyway? You definitely don’t look like you’re from anywhere close.”

You cleared your throat, you definitely had to talk at some point, right?

“I’m uh…I’m actually from the Underground. Or at least I was.” You felt a little flustered with this whole encounter. His eyes widened.

“Really?....wait how?” His genuine interest gave you a little confidence. He was a lot nicer than you had expected humans to be. This conversation was just like talking to a monster. You explained what had happened to you, and as you did his eyes lit up.

“Oh wow.” He paused, staring down and wringing his hands for a moment before looking back at you, “Is your name….by any chance….Frisk?” You felt a little uneasy.

“Yes? How did you know?” At your confirmation he shot up, appearing so excited.

“Do you remember me?” He asked, his face bright and expectant. You were hesitant – but still going to answer when he interrupted. “That’s a silly question. The last time I saw you we were kids….but I remember you. Danny remembers you.” He smacked his palm to his forehead, getting even giddier.

“Danny! Oh god, Danny is going to be so excited to see you! He’s been looking for you ever since you went missing when we were kids!”

“I’m….I’m sorry but I don’t remember you – or um. Your friend Danny. I’m sorry.” He shook his head, placing a hand on your shoulder – you felt a little uncomfortable at that.

“No – it’s okay. I completely understand….I’m just glad to see that you’re okay. We all are.” He gave you a tender smile and offered a hand to help you up. “Do you want me to take you back to the village? The village you came from? It’s just right down the road – I know everyone would love to see you.” You felt yourself getting a headache. This was just too much. You didn’t want to meet these people – you didn’t know them and they didn’t know you.

               This was too much pressure.

               He was leaning too close to you.

               You didn’t like this anymore.

               You just wanted to be back underground where you knew who you were.

 

               “Step away from her.” Sans was standing behind the human, his right eye glowing and his hands ready and raised, magic swirling in and out around his fingertips.

               Your blood chilled at how he spoke - you had never heard Sans talk that way before. The human instantly jumped back, putting his hands up a little to show he meant no harm.

               “Whoa hey man – I wasn’t hurting her I promise. She’s just confused and new here and I invited her to come back to our village where she at least knows some people.” Sans stepped a little closer.

               “She was raised in the underground. She knows everyone here. You’re the stranger.” He went to speak again but Sans flexed his palms once and the slight sting of magic shocked the air. The human choked on his words and stood still. Sans turned to you, his expression instantly melting from aggression to concern.

               “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” You shook your head, using the fence behind you to stand up. Your legs felt like jelly after all the magic that had coursed through you so quickly.  You leaned up against the gate post and smiled weakly at Sans. His anxious expression didn’t change. He shifted his stance a few times, looking from you to the human a little uncomfortably. “Oh okay…well did you….did you want to go with him?”

               “No.” You quickly turned to the human who seemed a little confused but mostly terrified. “The underground was my home. I’m sorry.”

               “I understand.” The human said weakly. Sans snuffed his eyes and lowered his hands. Taking a deep breath the boy quickly walked back through the gate, giving an awkward nod to Sans and yourself. He paused outside of the gates once more to call to you.

               “I didn’t mean….to be pushy or anything. Honestly. We all just have been anxious to see you for so long. Toriel told us you would be coming eventually and I guess I got a little surprised and carried away. Please take your time. I don’t want to rush you but…” He glanced at Sans and gulped, starting to back off into the woods, “Just consider it – okay?” Before you could respond he was gone. Sans moved to your side in an instant, pulling your weight onto him as he looped your arm around his shoulder.

               “Can you walk?” He asked gently. You nodded.

               “It doesn’t hurt – it’s just that the magic does a number on my muscles….but you knew that already.” Sans chuckled, looking up at you to make sure you were okay.

As you limped into town you waved to some familiar faces and found yourself amazed to see that some of them looked a lot different in the daylight. A lot of them were wearing sunglasses or sun hats. Sans kept close to you as you walked down the road towards one of the taller buildings. The streets were made out of cobbled stone and you were surprised at the craftsmanship, although you supposed that with fifteen years and magic on their side not much was impossible.

               “Until all the houses and whatnot are built they made these temporary apartment buildings for people to live in. We live on the eighth floor.” Sans opened the door with one hand and guided you in, seeing the agonized expression on your face he added quickly, “Don’t worry – there’s an elevator.” He helped you into the elevator and pressed the button. He stuck his hands in his pockets on the way up seeming a little preoccupied and anxious.

               “Do I think I was too harsh on that guy?” You chuckled and gave him a smile.

               “What do you think? He nearly pissed his pants!” Sans gave a small smile and looked at you with his eyes scanning your face.

               “I just….I saw him standing over you – and you looked so unhappy and afraid. I thought he was trying to hurt you and I….” You shuffled over and gave him a hug.

               “I know. But it’s okay. I’m kind of glad you came when you did. He wasn’t harsh or pushy but it was just….overwhelming talking to a human.” Sans winked at you as the elevator dinged.

               “I can relate to that experience.” He once again helped you walk until you reached your door. He knocked not even a full time before Papyrus flung the door open and picked you up in an embrace.

               “HUMAN I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!” You giggled and patted his back to set you down. He did so gently.

               “Thank you Papyrus, but I’m fine. The magic wasn’t so -” You looked around the room, impressed. In the short time that he had – Papyrus had almost unpacked everything and arranged the apartment to look presentable. He was more focused and determined than you gave him credit for.

               “Wow. It looks really great in here, Papyrus.” Sans nodded in agreement as he shut the front door and took your hand.

               “Papyrus already set up all the bedrooms if you want to rest.” He gently rubbed your hand, “You have your own room with us. Is that okay? We can get you your own place if you’d rather.” He seemed eager but also very embarrassed for assuming that’s what you would want. You shook your head,

               “No, I’d prefer it this way. I’d be over here all the time regardless. But for right now….” You bit your lip and smiled shyly at Sans. “I want to sleep in your room if that’s okay. I want something to feel familiar, yknow?” He returned the smile and guided you through the living room into a tight hallway and then his room.

It looked familiar although not the same as his Snowdin room. For one thing – the bed was made neatly and there wasn’t a trash tornado – but you had a feeling those things would be recreated pretty soon. As Sans shut the door you heard Papyrus call from the living room,

               “WAIT. WHY ARE YOU GOING WITH HER SANS?” And then after a few moments of silence.

               “AND HOW DOES THE HUMAN KNOW WHAT MAGIC FEELS LIKE??”            

               You collapsed on the bed, finally releasing your legs of all the tension from the walk and Sans laid down next to you. You scooted up until you were even with him and threw your arms around him lazily.

               “I’m exhausted.” Sans chuckled, running his hands through your hair and picking out pieces of a broken leaf.

               “I can tell. You can take a nap if you want. I’m not going anywhere.” Without thinking about it, without meaning to – you sleepily spoke again.

               “You promise?” Sans paused for a moment, more affected by your tired mumbles than you first realized. He ran his hand protectively over your back, pressing you close to him.

               “I promise.”


	14. The Photograph

You woke up slowly, groaning a little bit from the muscle tension in your legs. The room was bathed in a golden light and glancing out of the window positioned above the bed, you could see the sun was going down. How long had you been asleep? You turned over to find Sans asleep, his arm still placed protectively around your back. The other hand was holding open a theoretical physics book, the pages of which looked worn and almost all the pages seemed dog-eared. It was laying open on his chest, his thumb keeping the page open in place. You cuddled in next to him, enjoying the peace and quiet.

               Gently moving your head up onto his chest you tried to read from the page he was on but it was written in his weird font – every letter was a picture. A few of the lines were circled and one was underlined. You couldn’t make any sense of it but you were too tired to care much about it right now.

               Giving up, you placed your head back onto his chest – perhaps a little too heavily – waking him up. He sat up a little and then noticed you gazing up at him sweetly. He smiled back at you with the softest expression. He set the book on the dresser and turned to you, glancing for a moment out the window at the retreating sun.

               “How did you sleep?” Suddenly you realized.

               “I….I didn’t have a nightmare.” Sans sat up more, instantly awake.

               “Holy shit……” His eyes grew cautiously hopeful, his hand flying to his skull. “Neither did I.” He hugged you tight, so excited to believe in something again.

               “Does that mean….Chara is gone? For good now?” You asked quietly, not trying to bum the moment but you had to know. Sans was still beaming but he considered the question for a moment.

               “I’m not entirely sure. We’ll have to keep a close eye on things from now on. Since all of these events are new memories and you haven’t reset since we came here, I can’t imagine their souls could survive being stretched so thin.” But his face dropped a little. “But we shouldn’t underestimate their ability at any rate.” You touched his chin, trying to bring him back to happiness.

               “At least we had one nightmare-less night, right?” He chuckled, picking you up in his arms and laying back down.

               “Phst. You only had to deal with them for what, three-maybe four days? Come talk to me when you’ve had over a decade of poisonous thoughts every night.” You struggled in his arms, laughing as he squeezed you tighter.

               “Oh, I didn’t realize this was a competition!” You pushed against him and he let you free. You sat on top and looked down at him, his face the picture of content and his eyes locked softly onto yours. You sat there for a while – enjoying the sight of him looking so pleased and happy while the sun slowly faded behind the mountains in the distance. A few moments passed as he affectionately ran his hands on your thighs, gazing up at you as if you were a gift from the heavens. Feeling a little guilty for breaking the moment, but truly needing to say it – you softly spoke.

               “I’m hungry.” He chuckled softly and rubbed your thighs once more.

               “Okay.” You moved aside and he got up from the bed, adjusting his jacket and walked over to the door. “Let’s see what Papyrus has been cooking.”

               As you walked through the door you were able to appreciate the apartment a little bit more now that you weren’t as exhausted. The hallway containing the three rooms was cramped, and at one end was a closet – in the other the bathroom. Entering the living room you noticed the pictures Papyrus had carefully hung up on the wall. There were a few of him and Sans at various locations in Undertale. Papyrus had the same pose but in each one Sans tried a different method of giving his much taller brother bunny ears. You giggled, walking past them slowly. There was a picture of you as a child with Toriel in the ruins – it looked like your birthday. You had cake all over your face and Toriel was blurred a little bit in the act of wiping it off.

               “Papyrus?” You turned, finding the tall skeleton lounged out on the new couch. He sat up when you spoke. “Where did you get this picture?”

               “SANS HAD IT IN ONE OF HIS DRAWERS IN SNOWDIN. HE HAD A LOT OF PICTURES OF EVERYONE. UNFORTUNATELY I DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH FRAMES SO I IMPROVISED.”  Papyrus pointed to a wall you hadn’t noticed when you first came into the living room, which was covered in pictures without frames, posted neatly with small strips of tape forming the shape of Papyrus’ face. You started laughing out loud and moved over to them, Sans behind you looking extremely nervous. The quality of pictures varied from each one – although you could tell that most of them came from a cell phone. Not all of them had you in them, just about less than half did. At the top you could see pictures in which you looked fairly young, and as you progressed to the bottom you could find a few pictures that seemed to be taken just a few months ago. You turned around to Sans, smiling widely.

               “Did you take these pictures? Why did you have them?” He had his hands deep in his pockets, staring up at the collection, his face had a small tinge of blue to it.

               “There were just some moments I didn’t ever want to forget.” You smiled softly and then turned to look back at them. Each one was cheerful, some were of Undyne and Alphys, many of them had Papyrus posing the same way. Near the bottom though, they were mostly of you. You moved a little closer, gently touching each one. They looked worn. Then you noticed the one at the very bottom.

               Squinting, you bent down to look closer. It was a picture of Sans in a labcoat with three other people, he was smiling widely and his right eye was glowing magic. There was another person, another skeleton monster it looked like – with a gashed eye and a wide smile – who had his arm placed casually and almost proudly around Sans.

               In a flash Sans snatched the picture away, all semblance of his prior happiness empty from his face. Instead he looked terrified, more so than he ever had waking up from a nightmare. He stood there for a moment with the picture in his hands, looking at it. While he did, his face contorted in the worst possible way and in a blink he was gone.

               Standing up from the floor you looked around widely. What the hell was that? He glanced at Papyrus who shrugged.

               “Who were those people he was with?” Papyrus thought carefully for a moment.

               “I GENUINELY DO NOT RECALL. WHEN I FIRST CAME ACROSS THE PICTURE I THOUGHT I RECONGIZED THE OTHER SKELETON MONSTER BUT AFTER CAREFUL EXAMINATION I LOST THE FEELING. HE’S HAD THAT PICTURE FOR MANY YEARS.” Papyrus leaned forward on the couch, thinking.

               “HE USED TO KEEP IT UNDERNEATH HIS PILLOW FOR THE LONGEST TIME. I WOULD COME ACROSS IT SOMETIMES BACK WHEN I STILL BOTHERED TO CLEAN HIS ROOM.” Papyrus looked up at you, seeming to be worried. “I THOUGHT HE LIKED IT. I DIDN’T MEAN TO UPSET HIM.” You walked over and gave Papyrus an encouraging smile.

               “I know you didn’t Papyrus. I’m sure he’s okay.” You walked back into the cramped hallway to find Sans’ door was closed and locked. You hesitated for a moment before knocking.

               There was no response.

               You tried again.

               No response.

               You decided to give him some space and you returned to the living room. Papyrus was looking at the hallway concerned.

               “He won’t open the door.” Papyrus sat thoughtfully for a moment for he stood up and walked over to the door.

               “SANS?” He paused for a moment, waiting for a response that didn’t come. Papyrus turned back to you gravely, speaking quietly in a tone you’d never heard before. “Give us a moment Frisk. I’ll talk to him.” Papyrus then reached above the door frame to pull a key from a hiding place and unlocked the door. He slipped inside quickly and then relocked the door.

               You stood in the living room, a little unsure of what to do. You didn’t feel hungry anymore, and you felt guilty for not being able to help. After a few minutes you realized you would probably be waiting for a while.

               What was that picture?

               Why was Sans so upset?

               You sat down softly on the new couch. It was soft, an earth light brown color. The furniture was all the same color, arranged aesthetically facing the television. You sat squirming on the couch, listening to the muffled sound of Papyrus speaking softly from the other room. Not able to sit still you stood back up and walked over to the wall of pictures, a little misshapen from Papyrus’ face now that the bottom was taken out. You sat in front of it, looking at the pictures on the bottom.

               Most of them were pictures of you.

               They were odd because you were posing for any of them. You didn’t really remember even knowing the pictures were taken. Most of them were of you smiling, looking off at something.

               As you felt yourself smile at the careful attention he must’ve paid to you to take those pictures, you heard Sans voice interrupt the flow of the conversation. You couldn’t hear what he was saying but his voice sounded broken and hoarse.

               This wasn’t right, you needed to help.

               You didn’t want to interrupt them. Papyrus specifically asked you not to. You turned toward the kitchen, an idea forming slowly in your mind.

               Did you still remember what Sans taught you?      

               Hopping up, you moved toward the kitchen and grabbed a pen and some random scratch paper.

               _Flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, chocolate chips, brown sugar and eggs._

               You paused for a moment, checking the pantry to find them all empty.

               _Spaghetti._


	15. Kevin

Leaving the apartment building, clutching your shopping list and the spare key that Papyrus had left on the counter you felt a little lost. The sun was going down and the bustle of people shuffling through the streets was disorientating. Picking a direction you decided to start walking, keeping track in your mind where the apartment building was.

               As it got darker out, more monsters started to filter into the streets. It wasn’t claustrophobic by any means – it was just very active. You recognized the Snowdin bunny saleswoman walking through the streets with her three kids holding hands, a few Vulkin strolled by you chattering about how pleasant the sun felt, and a Pyrope winked at you as he coiled past. You took a deep breath and felt a little more relaxed.

               Birds flew low over the town and the stars started to fade into the sky. You were so absorbed with everything around you, you didn’t notice your phone vibrate at first. When you finally did realize, you pulled out your phone and answered.

               “Hello?”

               “FRISK?” You pulled your ear away from the receiver, feeling a little bit numb. You brought it a little bit closer, but still far away from your ear and responded.

               “Yes, Papyrus?”

               “WHERE ARE YOU? DID I MAKE YOU UPSET AS WELL?” You sighed and smiled a bit to yourself. He was such a sweetheart.

               “No Papyrus, I’m okay – I just figured I would get some food while you both were talking.” You bit your lip and crossed your arms, turning around a corner and examining the store fronts all along the street.  “How….How’s Sans doing?” There was a moment of uncertain silence.

               “HE’S….BETTER. HE SAID A LOT OF THINGS THAT I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND.” There was another pause. “A LOT OF THINGS I FEEL I BETTER NOT REPEAT. “ You heard him sigh and there was a creak like he had just sat down on his bed or the couch. “BUT HE’S BETTER.” You let yourself breathe for a moment. You had been more worried than you thought you had been.

               “Oh okay that’s good to hear.” You walked a little bit more down the street, the sun now completely gone and the street lights fading in. You started to feel a little cold. “Hey Papyrus, do you know where the grocery store is?”

               “NO, I’M AFRAID I DO NOT. ARE YOU STILL OUT ON THE STREETS? HUMAN, THAT SEEMS RATHER UNSAFE – I SHOULD ACCOMPANY YOU.” A part of you was desperate for someone else to walk with, but another part of you just wanted to have some time to think.

               “No that’s okay Papyrus, I’ll be okay. Nobody here would try to hurt me, I’ll just be in the store and out.” You turned back down the street, finding the one you were on a dead end. “As soon as I find it.” Papyrus was clearly uncomfortable leaving you alone at night, but he also respected your opinions and your space.

               “WELL…..OKAY HUMAN. BUT KEEP YOUR PHONE ON AND CALL THE GREAT PAPYRUS IF YOU NEED ANY ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER. OH….AND HUMAN?” You laughed a little to yourself, knowing what he was going to say.

               “Yes Papyrus, I’ll pick up some spaghetti. It was already on my list.” Papyrus ‘nyehehehe’ed until you had to get off the phone.

 

               You wandered around for ten more minutes, winding through street after street of endless houses and shops. How many monsters had been in the Underground? And more were still coming? How?

               Eventually you turned back around. Maybe you should just check in the morning with the guys, you were sure there was some kind of delivery for tonight. But then you thought about Sans and the muffins. You felt pretty confidently it would at least make him smile.

               You sighed.

               “Need some help?” You jumped, your heart raced as you spun around to find the blonde human from earlier walking up the street towards you. You felt a little uneasy. What was he doing here?

               As if he read your mind, the human stopped at an appropriate distance and ruffled his hair gently, his right hand shoved nervously in his pocket. “Sorry. I don’t mean to scare you. I was just coming back from work.” He pointed to Grillbys, which looked exactly the same as it had in the Underground. Sans would be pleased. “I’m a waiter there. Sometimes. Mostly I bus tables though.” He seemed a little embarrassed.

               “No it’s okay, I’ve just been jumpy. Everything is new y’know.” He nodded slowly, shifting his bag over his shoulder a little more. You noticed he was wearing a white button up shirt with several ketchup and mustard stains. He didn’t seem to be lying to you. There was a moment of awkward silence.

               “So what are you doing out here so late?” He kicked at the ground a little, making sure not to come too close to you. You held out your grocery list and shrugged,

               “I was trying to find a supermarket or something but I can’t seem to figure out where it is.” His eyes lit up and he pointed to a few blocks over.     

               “Oh, I know where it is. It’s right behind that clothing store on the corner. I can take you, if you want.” You didn’t really want him to go with you, but on the other hand you felt so lonely and a little nervous being on the streets with hardly any people out. You wished you had told Papyrus to come along with you, but as for now…

               “Um. Sure. I wouldn’t mind.” His freckled face lit up with happiness as he led the way – at a respectful distance of course. You texted Papyrus that you found the store, to which Papyrus responded with a spaghetti emoji and several praying emojis.

 

               Finally entering the store you were amazed at the variety of goods and items they sold here. It was much larger than any market you had seen in the Underground. The human introduced himself as Kevin and had seemed much less intimidating in the bright lights of the store than he had in the darkness of the alley. You both meandered around the store collecting the pasta ingredients and some light snacks and drinks for the apartment, chatting politely until you decided to ask some questions.

               Reaching the baking aisle, you started chose between two flours while he leaned against the cart watching you. “So um. Why do you work here? In Aboveground I mean.” He shrugged, looking down at the aisle at nothing.

               “I don’t know. It’s nice to be in a new place with new people. Most people here at friendly, and it’s so interesting learning about their culture.” You nodded, placing the flour in the basket and moving onto the sugar and baking soda.

               “Oh. Yea it is….and uh…what about those apples? Why did you have so many?”

               “I need them a lot back and forth between work. And plus, I figure that once more humans start visiting I’ll have a pretty good business selling them.” You hesitated.

               “Humans need one every time they go back and forth between the barrier?” He nodded, pushing the cart a few feet as you gathered some more ingredients.

               “Unless you ate enough, then you’d be good for a few days. I’ve found they actually can give you some magic – although it’s temporary.” His face lit up once again. “I had five apples total today – look what I managed to do!” He closed his eyes real tight and when he opened them he was halfway down the aisle.

               You gasped a little to yourself.

               A human using magic.

               Something about it made your skin crawl.

               “Oh.” You said, trying to keep your fear contained. “That’s incredible! But….are you sure you should be doing that? Isn’t that….stealing magic from monsters?” Kevin shrugged, his face burning from energy and his eyes looking brighter than before.

               “Maybe, but I’m not hurting anyone.” You pushed the cart down to collect the last ingredient, trying to seem nonchalant.

               “I know…but….someone else might want to. And then a lot of people and monsters, could wind up being hurt.” Kevin looked a little confused.

               “Why would anyone want to do that?” You felt a little amazed although you didn’t show it. For being older than you, Kevin was so naiive.

               “Well, I’m not sure if you know the history between humans and monsters…..but…” Kevin looked a little ashamed, staring down at his hands which were sparking red magic all over.

               “Oh. I suppose you have a point.” He held his eyes shut tight for another moment and the sparking stopped. You weren’t sure if he was truly convinced or if he was merely stopping to please you for the moment. You didn’t completely trust him with that kind of power. You had to tell somebody about this soon.

               “Listen….I’m sorry for everything so far.” Kevin held your arm and you felt that rush of uncomfortability fly back to you. “I don’t know much about this world. I’m still learning.” You pulled away from him as politely as you could and started heading toward the dairy aisle.

               “It’s….it’s okay. I can understand more than anyone about feeling out of place. I’m just a little uneasy right now. Everything is new for me too.” Kevin nodded, sticking both hands in his pockets.  You picked out some eggs, milk, and butter in silence. Before you got to the checkout line Kevin stopped the cart and looked down at the ground for a moment before piercing you with his eyes.

               Wow. You had never seen eyes so stunningly green before.

               “I really think you should see Danny. He’s coming to apply for a job tomorrow at Grillbys, around noon I think. Please come. At least just talk with him.” You laughed a little nervously, not knowing what else to do in such a weird situation. You wanted to keep pushing the cart and just leave, but the way he was staring at you, unmoving from his spot. He seemed so broken and desperate.

               “I….I’ll think about it, okay?” A small smile shifted across his face.

               “Hm. Okay.” He shrugged and helped carry your bags after you paid for them. Walking out of the store you realized you didn’t really want him to know where you lived. You didn’t have a reason not to trust him but…you just didn’t. You told him politely that your house was the other way and you preferred to just walk there alone. He seemed unsettled for a moment, but it went away quickly to be replaced by his small smile. He set down your groceries briefly to pull out a napkin and a small pencil out of his pocket. Leaning up against the store wall he wrote something and then handed it to you.

               “Here’s my number in case you ever wanted to talk….or if maybe you change your mind about seeing the village, okay?” You nodded, shoving the napkin in your pocket.

               “Are you sure you can carry all those bags okay?”

               “Of course!” You said laughing confidently, slipping your arms through the bags, feeling them stretch under the weight and precarious balance. You started walking the other way, looking over your shoulder until you were able to duck around the corner and watch him until he left.  He stared after you for a few moments, hands in his pockets until he sighed and started walking the other way. Eventually he was gone.

               You quickly strode down the street, making sure he wasn’t behind you until you made it safely to the next street. Walking quickly, but keeping your arms balanced you started thinking about everything he said. Why does he want you to meet Danny so badly? And what about the apples? You weren’t positive but it didn’t seem like allowing the humans the ability to possess magic seemed like a very good idea. Especially when it came from the deceased soul of a monster who died.

               You slowed down a little. But you ate a bite of that apple to release yourself from the boundary.

               Well, you needed to get by. And it was only a bite.

               You thought about how powerful you felt after you took that bite and shuddered a little.

               What about the strength of eating an entire apple – or ten?

               Reaching the apartment you gazed behind you, thinking about the number in your pocket. Even if you didn’t want to, you should keep an eye on Kevin. That power should definitely not be left alone in his hands.

 

               Reaching your apartment you set down the groceries in a huff, feeling exhausted. You searched for your keys in your pocket – but before you could find them the door flung open and Papyrus embraced you.

               “I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE HOME SAFE! I GOT WORRIED.” You giggled a bit until he set you down and then promptly picked up all the groceries in one swoop, making his way toward the kitchen. You shut the door and locked it, glancing towards Sans room.

               “Has he come out at all?” Papyrus’ happy demeanor shifted.

               “UHM. NO ACTUALLY. HE HASN’T.” Papyrus lifted several different kinds of spaghetti noodles out of the shopping bags and his face lit up. His eyes watering from gratitude, he ran back to hug you deeply and returned to the kitchen, “BUT THIS MAGNIFICENT FEAST WILL BE SURE TO LIFT HIM FROM HIS DESPAIR!” Papyrus immediately got right to work clanking around the pots and pans and you sat down, laughing lightly onto the couch. You turned on the television to Papyrus’ insistence to tonight’s new Mettaton soap opera show – but your eyes kept flickering towards Sans’ door.

 

               When Papyrus was finished cooking he entered Sans’ room with a plate of spaghetti, but when he came back out he shook his head sadly. Sighing, Papyrus sat down to eat the spaghetti himself and finish watching the last of a marathon documentary about human wars that Alphys must’ve promoted – because you were pretty sure all the facts were wrong. You gave Papyrus a big hug for trying and set yourself up in the kitchen to attempt baking muffins.

               Hearing the noise Papyrus turned his head around, seeming a little hurt.

               “DOES MY COOKING FILL YOU WITH MISERY AS WELL?”

               “No, no Papyrus…..I just thought maybe if he doesn’t want Spaghetti he might want muffi- err…..the off brand spaghetti substitute.” Papyrus nodded and turned back to the television.

               “PERHAPS YOU ARE CORRECT, HUMAN.”

               Going through all the steps you remembered the first time you taught him how to bake muffins. How burnt and disgusting they were. How much you loved them regardless. Although you only ate half of one and threw the rest out.

You giggled a little to yourself as you mixed the ingredients together and preheated the oven.

               As you poured the mix into the paper cups you wondered why that picture bothered him so much. And what was the shed in the back of the house for? You assumed it was for his time travel experiments, as he had mentioned before……

               Maybe one of the monsters in labcoats were the volunteer who disappeared? You felt your heart sink at that.

               Why wouldn’t he just tell you? You were sure he would feel so much better.

               You set them in the oven and checked your watch as you sat down next to Papyrus. He seemed delighted at the company and you both happily watched the program. Papyrus asked you if every single event or fact was true – ignoring your responses of “I’m not sure” and “maybe?” Eventually Papyrus got tired and went to sleep in his room without a bedroom story from Sans. You offered to read one for him, but he mumbled that it just wouldn’t be the same. Checking the time on your watch you still had five minutes.

               You pulled the napkin and your phone out of your pocket and entered in Kevin’s number just to be safe.  You thought about the apples. With just one bite your entire body buzzed with magic. Surely with five apples Kevin could do far more than just teleport?

               There was a knock at the door.

               You felt your skin crawl but you dismissed the feeling.

               You checked your watch, three minutes until you needed to get the muffins out of the oven. You got up and checked the peep hole to see nobody outside. Confused, and growing more uneasy you turned to sit back down to hear the knocking again.

               Again, there was nobody there.

               Heart beating a little uneasily, you hesitated for a moment and then unlocked the door to find Kevin standing there, his eyes glowing red with a smile on his face.

               “I’m sorry Frisk, but Danny really needs to see you. He said he couldn’t wait anymore.” He grabbed your arm roughly and in a flash you were gone.

 

               Sans woke up in a state of panic.

Something was wrong.

He smelt something burning.

He sat up in bed, glancing at the picture – now wrinkled and shoved halfway underneath his pillow.

An eerie feeling spread across his body.

He had no time. He had to move past this.

Opening his door he walked out into the living room to find an unsettling scene. The door was wide open and smoke was billowing from the oven. Rushing over to the kitchen first he switched it off and pulled out the pan – twelve paper cups were burnt to host putrid black bubbling liquid.

 

Muffins.

 

Frisk.

 

In a flash he was at Frisk’s room, he flung it open and found it empty. Heart pounding he opened Papyrus door, shocking his brother into waking up.

“SANS! OH SANS YOU’RE AWAKE.” Then seeing his expression Papyrus changed his tone, “WHAT’S WRONG?” Not finding the energy to speak - Sans flashed back into the living room looking out the door, feeling his chest sink lower and his heart pound heavily.

He turned around to the couch to find her phone on, resting on a number in her contacts that was replicated on the napkin beside it.

 

Kevin.


	16. A Misunderstanding

Sans slowly picked up the paper in his hands and crumpled it. He didn’t know for sure, but they had only been here one day – and Kevin was definitely a human name.

“SANS?” Papyrus stepped out of his room in his pajamas, looking a little scared. Despite his rage, Sans attempted to calm down. For Papyrus. Mustering the best fake smile he could, Sans stuffed the napkin in his pocket backing towards the door.

“Everything’s okay, Pap. Just go back to bed – okay?” Papyrus unzipped his pajamas, revealing his regular costume underneath. Sometimes Sans forgot his brother never took that off.

“SANS. I AM NOT AN IMBECILE. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

His heart pumping fast, Sans felt trapped and lost.

He had no idea where he was going.

“Frisk is gone.” Hearing the words echo instead his own head, Sans felt the misery quickly erupt into rage.

They had just gotten here.

He glanced at the picture wall.

He had been such an ass.

“WHO TOOK HER?” Sans touched the napkin in his pocket momentarily.

“I don’t know for sure….but….I think the human – Kevin. If that’s who Kevin is.” Papyrus’ face lit up in both surprise and worry.

“FRISK JUST TOLD ME ABOUT A KEVIN AFTER DINNER. SHE SAID HE WANTED HER TO MEET ANOTHER HUMAN NAMED DANNY AT GRILLBYS TOMMOROW. SHE WAS SCARED. SHE WANTED US TO GO WITH HER.” Sans got an uneasy feeling deep in his bones. He didn’t know anything at the moment but he needed to do something. The idleness was eating him alive.

He briefly recalled the name Danny from the Human’s earlier conversation with Frisk.

He glanced at the phone laying there and the slight indention in the couch from where she had been sitting. He should’ve been there.

 Clenching his fist tightly he took a deep breath, looking back at Papyrus – whose face was equally hardened.

“I’M GOING WITH YOU.” Sans started to object before he noticed orange smoke curling around Papyrus left eye. He had rarely ever seen Papyrus use his magic. Papyrus strode past him, seeming more menacing then Sans could ever remember. Following his brother out the door he took one last look around the room for any clues as to where she could’ve gone. At the last minute Sans snatched her cell phone, thinking he could at least identify this prick if they couldn’t locate him.

 

As he walked out the room, slamming it behind him he saw a small piece of paper flutter up from in front of the door. He bent down to examine it.

_Flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, chocolate chips, brown sugar and eggs._

Feeling his eyes tear up at worry and frustration Sans shoved the paper in his pocket as well.

Papyrus was already at the elevator, summoning it to the top using his magic but Sans had a quicker idea. Walking over to his brother he grabbed him gently by the hand and in a flash they were at the picket fence surrounding the town. Papyrus seemed a little surprised and unsettled. Stumbling a little before catching his balance, Papyrus turned to Sans annoyed.

“YOU SHOULD REALLY WARN ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT SANS.” And with that Papyrus took out the map from his back pocket and laid it down on the grass.

“A HUMAN VILLAGE IS JUST ACROSS THIS CREEK HERE.” Papyrus turned to Sans with all sincerity. “BUT HOW DO WE KNOW HE LIVES THERE AND NOT SOMEWHERE ELSE?” Sans felt itchy and impatient.

“Uhm. Shit. I don’t know.” His hands felt to his skull, feeling the sweat drip down his forehead. Every second something terrible could be happening to Frisk.

What if she gets hurt?

What if she decides to reset?

“You said something about Grillbys right?” Papyrus nodded calmly, seeing his brother breaking down a little bit. “Maybe someone there knows him.”

“SANS-” Sans turned toward the town and broke off into a run, and feeling his magic recharge from the first teleportation he summoned what he could to bring himself closer. If one were to watch him it would be like he was glitching in and out of space and time – getting a little closer to Grillbys, running as fast as he could.

Realizing he had no idea where Grillbys was, Sans stopped suddenly and wiped the sweat off his forehead in frustration.

He felt so hopeless.

His happiness was slipping away from him.

Just after he had gotten it for the first time.

The picture, it’s all that damn picture.

No – that didn’t make any sense. No. It was because you were so upset over that fucking picture you couldn’t keep Frisk safe. Teleporting onto each street Sans looked for the familiar sign, praying they were still open.

Finally he saw the familiar store front, and the store owner – Grillby – locking up the front door. Sans ran over to him, his magic all used up.

The fire monster rarely spoke, but seeing Sans in such a frantic state caused him to speak in the gravelly manner that he did.

“Sans?” Sans stopped in front of him, breathing heavy with perspiration visibly dipping down his forehead.

“Have you heard of anyone named….” He felt the name burn and spit it out as if it was poisonous, “Kevin?” Grillby’s eyes raised in surprise.

“Yes.” He pointed to a taken down ‘Help Wanted’ sign. “Works here.” Sans felt the sting of his favorite restaurant hiring the bastard who kidnapped Frisk, but he shook it off.

“Do you…” Sans tried to find the way to phrase it, “Do you know where he lives? Where can I find him?” Grillby shifted uncomfortably for a moment before blowing some fire in the air above him. It was a crackling map made of fire with two marks, one where they were and one where the boy allegedly lived. A wash of relief and vengeance ran through Sans’ bones as he started back to Papyrus, thanking Grillby as he glitch-ran. Meanwhile, seeing the anger in his favorite customer’s eyes, Grillby unlocked the door and placed the ‘Help Wanted’ sign back up on the door.

Sans flashed past Papyrus who was running into town. Sticking his arm out low, he clotheslined Sans hard and he was knocked onto his back, the air knocked out of him. Remembering his brother only had 1 HP, Papyrus quickly picked him up worried that he had hurt him severely. Sans coughed it out and threw Papyrus a dark look.

“What the hell was that?”

Papyrus stuttered, although attempted to remain an authoritative tone.

“SANS. LANGUAGE. AND YOU CANNOT JUST RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE, DRAINING YOUR MAGIC. WE DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE WHAT HAPPENED. IF IT IS THE WORST, THEN YOU SHOULD BE PRESERVING YOUR STRENGTH. DO WE EVEN KNOW WHERE HE IS?” Hearing the calm, intelligent words his brother was speaking, Sans felt a little guilty about his rash behavior but still felt the sense of urgency rise in his chest. Papyrus set him down and they both started walking quickly the town’s exit once again.

“Y-yes.” Sans coughed once again. Papyrus was stronger than people gave him credit for. “He’s at the far end of the village across the creek.” Papyrus left eye flashed orange for a moment.

“AH. HE IS CLOSE.” His eye quickly snuffed out however, as Papyrus attempted to be calm for Sans. “WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.” As Papyrus lead the way through the gate and through the forest into the darkness, Sans stuck his hands in his pockets.

He could feel his magic start to power up again but he knew Papyrus was right. If anything was waiting for them in that village they might need to use it.

As they both jogged through the obstacle course that was the forest at night – jumping over logs and ducking underneath lapsed branches with thick brush their eyes lit the path in an eerie neon glow. They walked in silence, each contemplating what was going to be waiting for them at the end of the journey. Sans strangled the napkin in his pocket.

It better be a misunderstanding.

 

 

In the midst of a searing headache you tried to take in your surroundings. You were in a blue room with clouds on the ceiling.

You sat up.

You were laying on a bed.

Where the hell were you?

Getting a second look you saw you were surrounded by stuffed animals. You seemed to be in some kind of little kid’s room. You remembered Kevin grabbing you and the white light. You stepped up from the bed, looking around at the room for another moment. Everything seemed a little familiar. Your heart started beating – not fast – but deeply within your chest. You could feel it pound against your entire being. Was this your room as a child? It didn’t feel like it. You instinctively backed away to the door and opened it. You were now in a circular living room with a couch, a television, a table and a few chairs.

Kevin was sitting at one of them, doodling something on the corner of a newspaper. He looked up at you when you entered the room, seeming a little embarrassed or guilty.

“Sorry about that. You passed out on me, I wasn’t totally sure what to do with you until Danny got here so I just let you rest. He should be here soon though,” He seemed extremely excited that you meet this Danny.

               You walked over to Kevin, feeling a little angry – and you felt reasonably so.

               “I don’t want to be here. Take me home.” Kevin seemed to shrink the chair a little bit, his freckled face smiling uncomfortably up at you.

               “I….I can’t. I used all my magic getting you here.” You wanted to punch him.

               “Bullshit. Take me home. Kevin, I don’t know who Danny is – but I don’t want to meet him.” Kevin closed his eyes to demonstrate his magic. One spark zipped from his fingers but that was all that happened.

               “I told you, I can’t.”

               You stood there, feeling increasingly afraid at your situation. You started walking toward the door but Kevin quickly tackled you, pressing you to the floor. You struggled, trying to kick him but you couldn’t reach him. He held your arms together behind your back.

               “I’m sorry. I can’t let you leave.” Frustration and fear drove you to panic but you couldn’t do anything about it. His grip was far too harsh on your wrists, you could feel them already pressing your muscles too tight. Just as you were weighing the pros and cons of screaming you heard the door open and all your fear washed away when you saw _him_ standing in front of you.

 “Get the hell off of her, Kevin.”

 

Sans and Papyrus found the forest got thicker as they passed the creek. In a fit of impatience Sans started using his Gaster Blaster attack to slice through the brush in the forest – perhaps a little bit too unnecessarily harsh. Papyrus was about to recommend toning it down a bit, if not for the saving of nature than for the sake of remaining stealthy. That was when they came upon a small village of wooden cabins and organized street markets. Papyrus gently turned to Sans and laid a hand on his shoulder just as he was winding up another attack.

“SANS. WE HAVE ARRIVED. I RECOMMEND A QUIETER APPROACH.”

Sans would like nothing more than to search every house until he found Frisk, but a lower – more intelligent part of his conscious reminded him that this was the first human village he had ever been to. Humans who had in the past slaughtered monsters just like him. He swallowed his anger and followed Papyrus as he walked around the edges of the forest keeping an eye on any movement.

 

Kevin quickly removed himself and you sat up on your knees staring at the new entry. He was extremely tall and well built. He had thick wavy black hair with a silver streak curling wildly through the front of his bangs. His eyes were a sharp blue.

But his smile – his smile reminded you of someone a long time ago.

You remembered being in this house when you were younger, playing with an older boy talking about what you wanted to be when you grew up.

You remembered playing behind the house as knights and rebels.

You faintly remember Kevin being there but he wasn’t a part of the world that you and this new comer had. You both had a connection and you had forgotten about it.

You had dreams about him for years when you were younger….you just couldn’t remember who he was.

“I’m Danny. Sorry about Kevin. He’s my younger brother….a little too ambitious sometimes.” Danny extended a hand to you and you took it. The contact felt like shaking hands with an old friend and it left you feeling confused.

Danny gave you a reassuring smile and then glared back at Kevin.

“Did she come here by choice?” Kevin laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“She didn’t seem like she was interested….but you seemed so depressed lately – I just thought if she was here-” Danny strode over in a few quick motions, pushing Kevin back onto the couch.

“Do you understand what she’s been through? What did I tell you to do?” Kevin shrunk his head between his shoulders, clearly embarrassed at being reprimanded with you standing there staring at him. You didn’t care. Kevin deserved it.

“You said to ask her to come.”

“Yea. And to let her decide on her own. She’s never going to want to come back here, do you understand that?” Kevin didn’t say anything but allowed the tears to well up in his eyes.

“I thought you would be happy.” Danny sighed, leaning away from his brother to sit next to him.

“I wanted to see you.” He said this to you. “But not like this. I’m sorry. You can go home if you want.” You stood to go to the door, but you felt a little unsure. Something about Danny….it reminded you of a frozen piece of yourself that was just starting to melt. You genuinely wanted to talk to him now. How ironic.

Danny stood from the couch, tossing a pillow at Kevin.

“I’ll walk you home, okay?” You didn’t say anything but you were pleased. You had forgotten you had absolutely no idea where you were in relation to the Aboveground.

He opened the door for you and allowed you to walk through. A wave of nostalgia hit you hard.

There was a path of flowers in the middle of the village.

There was a small playground.

There was a schoolhouse. Danny kept walking over to the left but you found yourself frozen to the spot. Realizing you were left behind, Danny stepped over to you, seemingly pleased that you were stunned.

“Do you remember?” You nodded, turning to him and enjoying the satisfaction he took from that.

“I was worried you wouldn’t. You were five years younger than me at the time.  There isn’t much that I remember at five.” You didn’t say anything but you wanted him to keep talking. Something about his voice reminded you of home. “Do you still want to go back?” He gestured to the town which was much smaller than Aboveground and more spread out, with plenty of fruit trees planted in between houses and lots of gardens along the way. “Or do you want to walk around for a bit.” You stood there a little conflicted.

You knew you should go home…but this feeling growing in your chest – of childhood before the Underground… you couldn’t resist it.  

“I’ll walk around for a little bit.” You said wistfully, looking all around you trying to hold onto fleeting memories. “But then I have to get home.” Danny nodded and lead the way through town.

 

Sans and Papyrus slunk around the edges of town until they saw someone move. Getting low they quickly moved behind the closest house, peering around the edges at the lone human sniffling to themselves.

Sans’ eyes lit up once he saw the blonde hair.

“Kevin.” He stepped out from behind the house, his entire body glowing with magic – coursing so much that it rose in coils above him in the air. Kevin stopped in his tracks and instantly grew pale at the sight of Sans.

“Where is she.” Kevin shook his hand, unable to speak – falling backwards onto the gravel street. Sans walked closer, his feet crunching on the small rocks.

“Where. Is. Frisk.” Tears were leaking out of Kevins eyes as the words remained choked in his throat. Sans rose his hand – magic sparking the air and gathering fiercely in a tight ball of energy. Seeing the fear in the young boy’s eyes Papyrus emerged behind the house feeling uneasy about Sans’ plan.

“SANS’ MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST TALK TO HIM FIRST-”

“WHERE. IS. SHE.” Sans shot a two thin sparks of magic at the boy’s face, the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Kevin cried out in pain and covered his left eye and the right side of his mouth.

“SANS, I REALLY DON’T THINK THIS IS-”

Sans turned to Papyrus, terrifying him for the first time in his life. Papyrus didn’t shrink however, understanding the situation was getting out of control. Stepping in front of Kevin, Papyrus looked down onto Sans.

“SANS. GIVE HIM A MOMENT TO SPEAK.” Breathing heavily, picturing Frisk tied up, crying, alone in some dark basement Sans didn’t respond – but he didn’t attack either. Finding the moment crucial, Kevin spoke quietly.

“Yes – I took her, but she’s free now.” Papyrus turned around to Kevin and knelt beside him, trying to comfort him the best he could.

               “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HUMAN?” The boy gulped, his eyes still trained on Sans, who glared at Kevin menacingly, the magic flipping between his fingers.

               “She’s with D-d-d-danny. She wanted him to go with her.” Kevin tore his eyes away from Sans to look at Papyrus. “I took her. I did. I’m sorry, we’re old friends from childhood I really didn’t think it would be such a big deal-”

               “You kidnapped someone. You took them away against their will.” Sans spoke darkly, his voice grating. Kevin shuddered.

               “I’m sorry.” Papyrus turned back to Sans.

               “SANS. IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING.” The words sunk into Sans mind. He felt his magic and his anger falter for a moment.

               “Where is Frisk.” He had to see her. Once he saw her he could stop….but if he stopped now, and he didn’t do everything he could…..he couldn’t live with himself. Kevin started crying openly now, his wounds bleeding and mixing with the tears on his face. Papyrus glared back at Sans.

               “SANS. STEP BACK. EVERYTHING IS OKAY. FRISK IS SAFE. I BELIEVE IN HIM.” Papyrus gave the boy a hug and then used his scarf to dry his tears and tend to his blood. Papyrus attempted to heal the boy, summoning orange magic clumsily to his fingertips .

               Kevin pulled away at first, wary of magic from these aggressive skeletons, but Papyrus assured him he was there to help. Sans took a few steps back, suddenly feeling guilty….but his panic for Frisk still hadn’t subsided. Papyrus healed the cuts as best he could. He didn’t have the grasp on magic that Sans did, but he certainly wasn’t letting him anywhere near the boy.

 Pulling his hands away, Kevin smiled weakly up at Papyrus and the skeleton found the boy now had two permanent scars on his face. One from his forehead past his left eye, the other under the right eye cutting through his top lip. It reminded Papyrus of something….but the feeling quickly faded away.

“KEVIN!” A voice screamed from the far side of the village. Two humans were running towards them. Cursing Sans, Papyrus hopped back from Kevin, shielding Sans from the humans – but mostly to shield the humans from Sans. Forcing Papyrus out of the way Sans saw one of the humans was Frisk.

His magic disappeared as if it evaporated and he ran to her.

 

You were walking through the strangely familiar village, feeling butterflies as you glanced from place to place - memories of a gentler time showering down on you..... when you heard a sharp cry from your left. Danny heard it too, and he seemed to gather a meaning from it. He started walking quickly towards the noise until you both turned a corner to see two skeletons facing Kevin, who was balled up and covering his face.

“KEVIN!” Danny screamed and took off running towards him, withdrawing a knife from his pocket. You took off after Danny, trying to stop him before things got out of hand.

“Frisk!” Sans ran over to you, his eyes full of worry and fear – you pointed to Danny you who had momentarily stopped at Kevin and then turned his fury on Papyrus.

“He has a knife. Sans, he has a knife!” His eye instantly lighting up Sans spun around, encasing the knife in a blue light just as Danny had struck Papyrus faintly in the leg -  and in a swift motion flinging it off into the woods.

There was a moment of silence between the five of you, the only noise was Kevin’s sniffling as he tenderly felt his face and Papyrus kneeling down slowly, breathing heavily.

Then you heard rustling from all around you as people started to emerge from their homes.


	17. The Compromise

Your mind racing you tried to think of a way to fix this.

You grabbed Sans by the arm, who was angrily stepping towards Danny – you assumed to repay for the crack in Papyrus’ leg.

“Sans. Sans, you need to take Papyrus and hide – right now.”  His face expressed a flicker of discontent before he glanced at the humans behind you in the distance, shuffling towards the unfortunate scene. His expression paled and he nodded, dashing over to Papyrus and then using the last of his magic to vanish the two of them somewhere. Danny was knelt next to Kevin, completely unaware of anything else.

“Danny. You can’t tell them what happened.” Breaking him from his trance, the older human stood – his expression now far less friendly than it had been before.

“Why shouldn’t I? You saw what they did to Kevin.” He crossed his arms and glared at you. Those beautiful cobalt eyes had turned to ice. You took a step closer to him, hearing the crunching of footsteps behind you. Your pulse quickened.

“They were just protecting me. They thought Kevin had kidnapped me – it was all just a misunderstanding.” Danny’s visage faltered for a moment. He hadn’t thought of that.

Before you could speak again, a handful of men and women arrived on the scene. One of the women gasped and in a swift motion was beside Kevin, examining his wounds and pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket to wipe up some of the blood.

A man with thick wavy red hair and a full lumberjack beard stepped forward – his eyes wide with concern.

“What the hell happened here, Danny?” Danny looked at you and you silently pleaded him. He took a deep breath and stared at the ground.

“Kevin ate too many of those sparked apples – he couldn’t control the power and he burned himself.” The lumberjack seemed suspicious, so Danny turned around to Kevin and gave him a wink.

“Isn’t that right Kev?” Kevin – who you were starting to understand would do anything for his older brother – eagerly nodded, causing the woman to dab her handkerchief in his eye. There was a sigh of relief from the townspeople, some of whom had started to mumble and head back to their sleeping quarters. The red-haired lumberjack still seemed suspicious but didn’t doubt him further.

He turned to you, pausing for a moment.

“Are you from out of town? I haven’t seen you around here before.” Danny was about to speak but the man chuckled, “Actually now that I think of it, you seem familiar. Though I must’ve only remembering seeing you as a tyke.” He glanced at Danny and winked, “Y’all have a safe night, y’here? Come on Kev, me and the old lady will try to fix up your face.” Kevin stood and followed the couple, glancing behind him once uncertainly. Danny nodded to him and you both watched them all re-enter the house at the end of the street. As soon as the door shut, Danny turned you to face him.

“You owe me, big time.” He started walking back to his house. Confused you spun around for a moment, unsure of what to do before you followed him.

“What do you mean?” Danny rustled his hair and flashed you a smile.

“You owe me. And with Kev under repair, I don’t want to sleep in an empty house.” You stopped walking as he opened the door to his house and went in. You glanced at the forest behind you.

“I don’t really think I should stay here, Danny. I don’t really….I don’t feel safe.” From inside you heard him laugh, after a moment he poked his head back outside.

“That’s not what I meant.” When you didn’t respond or move he laughed again. “You can come inside you know – I’m not gonna kidnap you.” You mumbled as you entered the house once again. He had kidnapped you once before…..

You saw him packing a few shirts into a loose knapsack. He tossed some socks and a few books. You stood uneasily in the doorway.

“What are you doing?” Danny entered his room and after a moment reappeared with a bunch of loose papers. He took three apples from the counter, a few metal contraptions from a drawer and shoved everything into his bag. Then he slung it over his shoulder and passed you, walking out the door.

“I’m staying at your place for a few days.” Then he kept walking towards the forest.

Oh no.

No, no no no no no.

You shut the door to his house gently, making sure it was locked before you raced after him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea either-” Danny stopped suddenly, turning to you with a soft expression.

“You owe me your friends’ lives. All I want is to get to know you a little better. There’s a reason I’ve been waiting all these years okay? I’m not going to hurt you, I’m not going to trap you. I don’t want anything from you but conversation.” He thought for a minute. “Okay and maybe some food, I’m assuming you have food at your place, right?”

Spaghetti crossed your mind.

“Well yes but-”

“Alright well then we’re good!” He started in the forest, his pace much quicker than yours being so tall that you found you were nearly jogging to just keep up with his casual stride. After a few moments he paused again and seemed to be looking for something.

“Okay Danny – but theres something you should know, I-” You stopped when you saw him kneeling on the ground, shifting through the leaves. “What are you doing?”

“That friend of yours tossed my knife somewhere over here. I could tell from way all the leaves had shifted but it doesn’t seem to be here anymore.” He looked back at you, confused.

“Looking for this?” Sans appeared seemingly from nowhere holding his knife. He didn’t seem to have any indication he was handing it over, just that he was literally asking the question. Danny stood, his expression hardening.

“Yeah, thanks.” He held out his hand but Sans didn’t move an inch. Sans put the knife in his pocket and walked over to you. His voice softening towards you he asked,

“Are you okay?” You nodded and he gave you deep hug. You smiled. You could sense how worried he was about you.

“I’m fine. Danny’s a good guy.” He stepped back and looked him over.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that.” Danny’s hand finally dropped, realizing Sans had no intention of returning his knife.

It was awkward.

“AHEM. I DON’T BELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED.” Papyrus stepped tenderly from around a tree, limping on his broken bone. Danny gasped and stepped back, his hand up and ready in defense. Sans rushed over and shot a few sparks of magic onto his leg.

“Papyrus, you have to stop walking on it – it needs time to heal.” Papyrus pouted and gestured to you and Danny,

“BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS DIDN’T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT OF ANY CONVERSATION.” You and Sans chuckled and you walked over to Papyrus, helping him stand the best you could. Danny let his defense falter a little.

“Are you the one who scarred my brother?” He was looking at Papyrus fearfully, and Papyrus seemed to enjoy the attention.

“ACTUALLY NO, SANS WAS THE MUTILATOR. I MERELY HEALED YOUR HUMAN THE BEST I COULD. BUT THANK YOU FOR THINKING OF ME!” Danny looked incredulously at Sans, who you had to admit, looked a lot less intimidating than Papyrus.

Sans shrugged.

“AHEM. I BELIEVE YOU MEANT TO APOLOGIZE SANS. YOU ARE BEING VERY RUDE.” Papyrus crossed his arms and looked very disappointed. Sans burrowed his forehead in frustration,

“He sliced your leg!”

“YOU SLICED HIS BROTHER’S FACE!” There was a moment of silence as Sans contemplated it.

“True.” He turned to Danny, his face darkening. “I shouldn’t have acted as rashly as I did. But you have to understand, I thought the worst was happening to Frisk. I’m not sorry though. I knew if I had to replay the situation I would’ve done the same thing every time.” Danny nodded slowly, although he seemed a little off put from Sans’ brashness.

“I understand.” He looked up at Papyrus. “I am truly sorry for hurting you. Thank you for attempting to heal Kev.” Papyrus smiled and turned to Sans.

“SEE. HE KNOWS HOW TO BE POLITE.” Sans rolled his eyes and turned to you.

“Can we go home now? It’s been a stressful day.” Danny glanced at you, understanding the context of that statement.

“You live together?” Danny seemed incredulous at this fact too. Sans put his arm around you, his eye glowing lightly.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“Nothing….it’s just I guess we’re gonna be roommates then, huh?” Danny flashed Sans a smile, and Sans slowly dropped his arm from around you.

“Excuse us for a minute.” In a flash you were in a remote part of the forest alone with Sans. He had his fingers pinched on the bridge where his nose would be.

“Please tell me he’s not staying with us.” You shuffled nervously, smiling at him. He dropped his arms, upset.

“God, Frisk why? Why?”

“He wouldn’t let me say no. We owe him one, he didn’t tell the villagers about what you did, which by the way you should absolutely thank him for.” Sans stuck his arms in his pockets and his eyes went blank.

“I have nothing to thank him for. His stupid brother took you out of nowhere. I don’t care what the reason was, that’s not something I can just dismiss. Not to mention you hardly know these humans. You have no idea what their intentions are.” He was right. But you were too.

“I can understand that, Sans. But on the other hand he has a lot of power over us right now. Do you really want to start another Human Monster war over this? And right when we finally get to the surface? Is it really worth it?” Sans didn’t say anything, his eyes remained blank. “Listen. He’s not staying long. Just a few days – I’ll make sure of it.” He didn’t say anything still.

You reached into his pocket and forced his hand into yours. You could see him resisting to smile.

“Come on….don’t be so hardheaded.” You knocked against his skull. He gave a little chuckle but still attempted to be resolute.

“I know you’re not mad at me.” He didn’t say anything, but you could feel the edges of his mouth twitch. “You can’t fool me.” You unzipped his jacket and stuck a finger through his ribcage. “I can see right through you.” At this you curled your finger around the bone and gently dragged his across the length of it. He shivered and the lights in his eyes came back.

“God damn it.” He kissed you gently. “Fine. He can stay. For two nights and that’s it. And he stays in your room.” He quickly added, “And you’re staying in my room.” You giggle and kiss his collarbone, sending small shivers all over his body.

“Sounds perfect.” Sans smiled and reluctantly zipped up his jacket, in a flash you both were back with Papyrus and Danny.

“FINALLY. YOU ARE BEING SO INCONSIDERATE TODAY SANS. LEAVING IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION LIKE THAT-”

“Oh hush Papyrus.” Sans shot him some more magic onto his leg and a few cracks disappeared.

Danny shifted his knapsack over his shoulder, looking at you.

“So….is everything cool?” You shrugged, truly unsure of how it could possibly be ‘cool’.

“Yea. You can stay for two nights, okay?” His face lit up and he hugged you intimately, his arm pressing you against him.

You could almost feel Sans’ eyes bearing into his back.

You pulled away from him gently, laughing a little uncomfortably.

Sans was glaring daggers at him.

Danny nodded to Papyrus, unaware of the bad time looming over him, and continued the conversation they had shared from before. The two of them started on in the forest, walking at the same pace and seeming to get along fairly well. Papyrus limped, pressing his weight on his other leg until Danny noticed and moved over to support Papyrus while he walked. Papyrus –loudly- voiced this thanks as they continued walking.

Sans crossed his arms and turned to you,

“Yeah – on second thought, I don’t know about this…” You giggled and grabbed his hand, dragging him along.

“Come on. I’m tired, let’s just go home. Everything is going to be fine.”

Papyrus laughed loudly ahead of you both at something Danny said.

The laughter contagious, you giggled.

Sans took a deep breath, his eyes darkening.

“Somehow I don’t believe you.”


	18. Suspicious

As you walked through the forest, the leaves crunching under your feet and the calm early morning breeze drifting through the trees, you found yourself contemplating the things that Danny had said earlier. He had spoken so softly about your past, been so specific and honest. You didn’t remember all of it, but the way he spoke of it made you want to.

There was something so familiar and comforting about his presence, something you found yourself eager to be around…

And yet some of his actions terrified you. He looked at you as if at any moment you might disappear – and you weren’t entirely convinced that the kidnapping was only Kevin’s idea. His interest in you had a sense of desperation about it. Even now, walking ahead of you with Papyrus he occasionally turned around as if to make sure you were still there.

And why would someone who met you basically as a baby care so much about you?

And with all that he talked about walking around the village, he never once mentioned your parents.

Yet….there was a part of you that wanted to trust him no matter the implications. This tiny part of you that seemed to remember him as somebody more.

“Frisk?” Startled, you spun around to Sans, who you could assume had been staring at you for a while with that same expression of concern. You had almost forgotten he was walking with you, you were so deep in your own head.

“Sorry, Sans. I was just….thinking about something.” Sans looked away from you, sticking his hands in his pockets, staring forward at Danny.

“Why do you feel so obligated towards that guy?” His voice was hoarse and low. You felt a little guilty, although you weren’t sure why.

“I…I don’t know honestly. I just get this feeling that he knows who I am…or that he has a piece of me that I never knew I lost.” Sans looked away for a moment. When he looked back you were surprised at how sad his expression seemed.

“Just be careful, Frisk. I don’t trust this guy.” He kicked a pile of leaves softly. You didn’t say anything for a moment, but just watched as the leaves drifted away in the breeze.

“Why don’t you?” Sans looked up, his eyes trained on Danny’s back. Danny was gesturing wildly to Papyrus, explaining a complicated story.  Sans didn’t take his eyes off him while he spoke.

“Well he hurt Papyrus for one. I don’t care if he apologizes a million times, I’m not going to forgive him. And….he’s clearly obsessed with you. He must’ve been very vocal about how desperate he was to see you for his brother to resort to kidnapping you. And…” Sans drifted off, his face falling from anger to embarrassment. “He has the same look in his eye that I had not too long ago. He’s lost you before and he’s determined not to let it happen again. That look is the same one I had every time I met you after you would reset. Miserable but determined.” You didn’t say anything.

A few moments passed, the leaves drifting peacefully from the tops of the trees – the crunching of them underfoot filled the lull in the conversation.

He spoke again, after a little hesitation.

“Do other humans have the ability to SAVE?” This question unsettled you.

You didn’t know – and so you didn’t answer.

Sans didn’t say anything more.

For the rest of the walk back to Aboveground the question lingered over you like a storm cloud. Did they? Would you notice the chances if they did? Would Sans?

Eventually you emerged at the clearing and realized you would have to pass through the barrier again. You glanced back in the woods, trying to remember where that tree had been.

“Hey! Hey, don’t worry about it.” Danny had jogged back to where you were, beaming wide and holding an apple. “I brought a few with me.” He handed you the apple and pulled out one for himself. Running back to Papyrus he took a few bites and then continued supporting Papyrus as he walked, limping past the barrier into the city.

Walking towards the gate you bit into the apple – that same rush of adrenaline and power surging through your veins. You felt goosebumps all over your body and a tingling sensation coursing to the tips of your toes to the top of your head.

That was just one bite?

Walking through the gate you turned back to Sans.

He had stopped and was staring suspiciously at Danny and Papyrus who were far ahead of you both.

“What’s wrong?” Sans started walking toward you again, his eyes still focused on Danny.

“If he only needs one bite why is he eating the whole apple?”

Alarmed you turned back to see that he was indeed eating the apple with vigor.

If Danny was so trustworthy, why did he constantly stress your better judgement?

 

Reaching the apartment you found the door was already open and you heard the familiar bubbling of boiling water on the stovetop. Stepping in you saw Papyrus was propped up on a stool in the kitchen while Danny stood behind him and observed. Papyrus was proudly describing step by step how to properly make spaghetti while Danny added some suggestions like “maybe don’t turn the boiler on all the way” and “aren’t you stirring a bit too fast” to which Papyrus laughed and claimed the human still had a lot to learn.

Seeing you walk in, Danny’s face lit up and he moved over to greet you in the doorway. His eyes were twinkling and he ran a hand through his dark hair nervously.

“Nice place. Can you show me around?”

Sans walked in from behind you responding coldly,

“It’s a small apartment, there’s not much to see.” He then locked the door and walked over to Papyrus to check on his leg – giving him a few extra sparks of magic. Danny was undeterred and waited for your response. You awkwardly shrugged,

“Uh, okay. Well this is obviously the kitchen and the living room.” You gestured around and then walked over to the cramped hallway. “The bathrooms at this end, the three rooms are Sans’, mine, and then Papyrus’ at the end. That’s pretty much it.” Without missing a beat Danny asked,

“Cool, cool….so where am I sleeping?”

“Oh, you can stay in my room.” At this his eyes flashed up, so you quickly added, “But you’ll have it to yourself. I’m staying with Sans.” His expression seemed confused but he shook it off.

“Alright, sounds good.”

There was a few moments of awkward silence.

You laughed nervously and then started walking back to the living room, when he caught your arm.

“Listen. Frisk, I’d like to talk to you for a moment. There are some things I need to say that I didn’t get to tell you back in the village. Do you want to go for a walk?” You glanced over your shoulder. Sans was listening to Papyrus but his eyes were locked on the two of you.

“Um, I don’t know Danny I’m pretty tired. Maybe tomorrow?” He let go of your arm and this time his disappointment was more visible.

“I…I was hoping to talk to you today.” You struggled, feeling caught by his insistence and the growing feeling inside your chest that he had something important to say about your past – facts you had been aching to know for years Underground…but you were genuinely tired. And you weren’t sure if you could take any more double feelings.

“I’m sorry, Danny. I’ll take a walk with you tomorrow, okay?” He sighed and nodded. He went inside your room for a moment and set his bags down.

You walked down into the living room and over to Papyrus and Sans, feeling happy to be someplace where you knew what to expect. Papyrus was searching all over the counter angrily while Sans smiled, his hands in his pockets. Papyrus turned to Sans, pointing his finger accusingly at him.

“GIVE IT UP ALREADY. I KNOW YOU STOLE IT, SANS!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Pap.”

“YOU TOOK THE SALT! YOU KNOW MY PASTA CAN’T BE FULLY ENJOYABLE WITHOUT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SALT!” Sans pretended to look offended.

“The mere accusation is insalting.”

Papyrus narrowed his eyes and outstretched his hand. Laughing, Sans handed it to him.

Papyrus grunted and tossed some loose grains at Sans, to which Sans fainted on the floor dramatically, his hand placed delicately on his forehead.

“I’ve been assalted!” Papyrus rolled his eyes and poured a ridiculous amount of salt into the boiling water until out of principle you had to take away from him.

Sans was still lying on the floor, a big smile on his face.

               Sighing, you laid down next to him – wishing things were as simple as it had been a few days ago. Happy you joined him, Sans put his arm around you while you both lay on the kitchen floor. Speaking in a low voice, Sans turned to you.

               “So what did he say?” You shrugged, playing with the zipper on his jacket.

               “He just wanted to talk to me. I said we’d talk tomorrow.” Sans nodded, his hand drifting up to play with your hair gently.

               “Okay. I’m going to listen in. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that-”

               “I know. You don’t trust him. I understand. I think I’d feel better knowing you were watching anyways. I’m not a fan of the kidnapping experience.” He smiled but his expression was still one of concern. You both laid there for quite a while.

               Papyrus complained multiple times that you both were ruining his creative workspace so eventually you got up and moved over to the couch. His arm tight around you, you cuddled into him feeling safe and relaxed for the first time that day. He turned on the television although neither of you were really watching it.

               Danny walked out of his room a few minutes later, seeming surprised to see you so close to Sans. His expression shifted through surprise, confusion, and then you could swear jealously before he replaced it with his casual smile.

               “So uh, what’re you guys doing?” He asked, his voice a little shaky – his eyes stuck on the two of you as he slowly sat down in the loveseat. Sans didn’t answer or even register that he heard Danny at all. You shrugged,

               “Just watching television. Any recommendations?” Danny didn’t respond for a moment, his eyes drifting over the two of you looking lost.

               “Oh….uh…no whatever you want to pick is fine.” His voice was small and quiet as he tore his eyes away from you both and turned to the television.

After a few moments Papyrus excitedly asked for Danny to join him and taste his famous spaghetti. Danny reluctantly got up from the couch, glancing at you and Sans once again almost in disbelief before he walked back to the kitchen.

His interest concerned you but you were honestly too tired to think about it. You glanced at your hands, intertwined with Sans tightly. They were extremely dirty.

Pulling away from Sans a little you giggled and spoke quietly,

“I think I need to take a shower. I’m a shade darker just from all the dirt.” Sans ran his hand through your hair,

“Want me to join you? My bones aren’t so fresh either.” You gestured to Papyrus and Danny with your eyes,

“Right now? With them here?” Sans shrugged,

“Why not? Papyrus won’t think twice about it and who cares what BrotherStabber McKidnapper thinks.” You couldn’t help but laugh,

“That’s not nice, Sans.” You said through your hands, trying not to laugh at his expression. Sans shrugged again, his smile wide hearing your laughter.

“I never said I was nice.” You felt his arm tighten around you as he felt your hair and kissed your forehead gently.

“C’mon.” He pleaded, his eyes bright and wide. “Please? I’m very….” Just then Papyrus had stumbled into the living room and made a leap for the couch with his plate of spaghetti, glancing over briefly at the both of you. At his brother’s presence, Sans quickly changed his sentence around, “….concerned at your cleanliness.” You laughed and pushed him away, Sans chuckled. “What? I am! Someone has to make sure you clean behind your ears….amongst other places.”

Papyrus glanced over at the both of you, his face scrunched up in confusion. A bead of sweat dripping, Sans quickly added,

“Like your face. And hands. Wosh u hands, Frisk.” You giggled again, fully convinced by his humor.

“Okay, okay.” You whispered and kissed his forehead. Whispering into where his ears would be you added. “I’ll go to the bathroom. Meet me in like five minutes. Try to create a distraction.” Sans winked and nodded.

You stood up and quickly walked over to the bathroom. Glancing at the scene behind you, you saw Danny in the kitchen, leaning against the fridge looking sadly at the ground deep in thought.

You felt guilty.

But….why?

Then you glanced over at Sans, winking once more at you – his eye glowing and a brief outline of something bulging from inside his shorts.

You couldn’t worry about Danny right now.

You needed to…. uh….wash your hands.


	19. Woshin' U Hands

Closing the door to the bathroom you flicked the light on and looked around. Papyrus had placed brand new bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a bottle called “Bone Colonge Body Wash.” The body wash had a series of sticker notes that went like this:

“FOR PAPYRUS. GET YOUR OWN SANS!”

“why?”

“BECAUSE I BOUGHT THIS FOR ME AND ME ALONE.”

“no – why do I need to get my own Sans, I already have one.”

“….”

“I knew you’d undersans.”

“WHATEVER”

 

Giggling, you set the bottle down.

The room was a soft baby blue color and the shower was actually fairly nice for such a compact apartment. You didn’t have to wait long before the door opened and Sans entered with a wide smile, chuckling to himself as he shut the door. Grabbing his hand you pulled him close to you and gave him a kiss, the sparks tickling against your lips made you swoon a little.

It hadn’t been long but you had missed him more than you realized.

“W-what did you do?” You asked, pulling away from him a little more breathless than you thought you’d be.

Sans chuckled again, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“I just got Papyrus and Danny talking about puzzles. They’re in Pap’s room right now, he’s showing him a few of his favorites.”

“Oh okay.” You felt yourself blush. “They should be busy for a while then.” Sans shrugged.

“Danny didn’t seem that into it, but I….uh….doubt Papyrus….noticed….”

He trailed off as you quietly slipped your pants off, keeping eye contact with him the whole time. Giving him a sweet smile you grabbed him by the neck of his jacket and pulled him into a deep kiss. He energetically slipped his arms around the small of your back and pushed you tight against him.

The sparks shocked you until you felt your mind start to unravel and cloud every thought until all you could think about was him. Breaking apart from the kiss, you threw off the rest of your clothes in a frenzy and helped him do the same. He had his hands around your waist, you had your hands gently gripping two of his rib bones.

Completely naked in front of each other you stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, a soft smile on both of your faces. His eyes ran over your figure, stopping momentarily at a few key places.

“Wow, you actually do have a lot of dirt on you.”

You pushed hard him into the door and he laughed, rubbing his shoulder from the impact.

Your face blushing you giggled and stepped into the shower, shutting it before he could get in. You turned on the water and found it was freezing cold. Squealing you moved to push open the door but Sans had blocked it, forcing you to endure the slow turn from freezing cold water to pleasant warmth.

His arms crossed he shrugged.

“Hey – you wanted it this way.”

Laughing you tried to open the door to let him in.

“Come on! Just open the door, please.” Sans shook his head.

“Nope. I know when I’m not wanted.”

               You rolled your eyes and pretended not to care anymore. Grabbing a handful of shampoo, you rubbed it into your hair, turning slightly away from him. Rinsing it out you arched your back – fully aware that he was watching you. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes drifted along your body, arousing the similar hungriness you had become so accustomed with. After doing the same with conditioner you let your hands explore your body with the body wash, rubbing your breasts tenderly and moaning lightly just to tease him.

               At this Sans moved quickly to open the door but you slammed it shut and winked at him.

               “You wanted it this way.” He chuckled but his eyes were hungry.

               “C’mon Frisk. Don’t do this to me.” You moaned a little louder, slipping your hands across your stomach and your sides – finding your way down to your clit. Rubbing back and forth, watching his desperation you elicited a few genuine groans of pleasure.

Breathing heavy Sans closed his eyes and when they re-opened his eye was glowing the brightest blue you had seen yet. The door swung open and he pushed it shut quickly behind him, a lot of water splashing out when he did so. You had a feeling he didn’t care. You didn’t either.

You felt his presence in the small space instantly. His power overwhelmed you and you felt a lot shyer than you had been just moments ago.

The water dripping seductively over your bodies, he breathed heavily – devouring you with his eyes [or rather his eye] before sliding an arm around you and kissing you harder than he ever had before. Feeling your soft flesh pressed so close up against him and hearing your soft moans from the sharp sparks of your lips was too much for him, and a flash of blue light enveloped the room.

You felt his rock hard member grow against you, and you gave a sharp gasp of surprise. Encouraged, he pulled you tighter and the sparks grew more intense until your head grew light and your heart beat faster until your entire body became electrified. His power and intensity were too much. Your muscles were aching for his presence; you had to have him inside you.

Involuntarily you started squirming up against him and he pushed away chuckling in a hoarse voice.

“Looks like someone’s-” You put your hand over his mouth, panting from sexual desire.

“No. Not this time.” You gripped two of his rib bones, your finger teasing the inside, sending him shivering.  “Just-” there was a flash and he had you up against the wall, his phantom dick teasing your entrance.

“Fuck you, right?” He winked and pushed half of his length into you, the mere pressure and sensation of the sparks combined with the water dripping all over you caused you to moan and squeal from pleasure – his size stretching you farther than it had before.

Lifting you back up he entered again – this time penetrating you completely, pressing his member as far into you as he could. You could feel your vagina tighten around him, moaning loudly at the shocks sent through your entire body. Breathing heavily he watched your face like you were the most interesting thing in the universe.

He pumped back and forth into you, occasionally eliciting an involuntary groan from himself but he never stopped staring into your eyes. His soft expression coupled with how powerfully he was pounding you alone sent shivers down your spine. You gripped his shoulders tightly as you bounced heavily on his cobalt dick, your back sliding up and down on the tile wall, water coursing between your bodies like rain.

As his pace picked up you tried to push back down on him as hard as you could but found it hurt too much. With a sharp yelp you tightened and stood up – a little hurt by the action. Concerned he placed his hand against your back, slowing for a moment – his brow forehead burrowed in worry. You shook your head, overcoming the sensation and feeling the rolling waves of pleasure again.

Relieved he slid his hands up and down across your sides and pushed himself up into you, faster and faster until you could feel your orgasm rising. Watching your face carefully, a soft smile drifted across his face. The action was so sweet, but you couldn’t focus on it. You couldn’t focus on anything. You felt all of your senses dull as his dick pulsed in and out of you until you couldn’t hold back any more. Moaning louder than you ever had, you pulled his head and shoulders close to your body as you rode out your orgasm, with every pump you moaned a little more until the sensation started to fade away.

Your face flushed from the pleasure you started breathing heavier, your muscles growing weaker. In a flash you were on your hands and knees in the center of the shower, Sans was behind you – leaning over your back slightly, his hands digging into your sides. He pumped his rock hard member inside of you, groaning a little from effort and pleasure.

Feeling a second orgasm rising you moaned loudly, pushing back up against him. Your muscles were sore and you felt extremely light headed but the pleasure filled you with determination. Your moans turning a little more into screams of pleasure you felt him push harder and faster until your entire vagina felt electrified with energy, with a few lasts grunts and slams he pushed into you and your second orgasm broke, leaving you shaking and moaning on the floor of the shower.

Falling down on the floor of the shower next to you, Sans was motionless for a second.

“Fuck.” He sputtered out.

You laughed lightly without moving. He rolled around with enough effort, and put his arm around you.

Cramped up, laying down in the shower you never felt so happy.

You both just laid for a good ten minutes or so, laughing at the situation and catching your breath.

“Just…..Fuck.” Sans put his other arm that wasn’t around you behind his head and closed his eyes. You giggled and placed your hand on his rib cage, gently stroking it back and forth lightly. He pushed your hand away, shaking.

“D-don’t do that. I’m all sensitive.” Laughing, you sat up just a little – the most your body would allow.

“Do what? This?” You ran a finger along the inside of his spine and he moaned a little, rolling away from you, his arms blocking his chest.

“Wow…..and after I took you to the Bone Zone.”

At that you couldn’t help but laugh full heartedly. It felt so nice.

A few minutes later the water ran freezing cold and you had to stand up and shut it off. Sore from the sex and from laying on the hard tile floor for so long you moaned and leaned up against the wall.

Still on the floor Sans was starting to drift off to sleep. Giggling, you pushed him with your foot.

“C’mon Sans you can’t sleep here.”

“Why not? I’m a skeleton. It’s doesn’t bother me.”

“Your bones will get sore. And what if Papyrus finds you asleep in the shower?” Sans shrugged,

“Eh. It’s happened before.” Laughing loudly you grabbed his arms and pulled him up – he was much heavier than he looked.

Eventually he stood up on his own and you both stumbled out of the shower, almost slipping on the soaking wet floor. Catching your balance on the counter you looked around.

“No towels? Are you kidding me?” You groaned, realizing that both of your clothes were soaking wet. “Do you think Pap and Danny are still looking at puzzles?” Sans chuckled.

“Honestly, with the way you were screaming they might’ve called the cops.” You gasped.

“Was I really that loud? Do you think they heard me?” Sans shrugged, smiling wide.

“I’d be surprised if people back in the Underground didn’t hear you.” You went to push him, but he dodged you – then caught you before you slipped in the water again.

“You should really work on that.” He winked and then leaned against the counter, his eyes looking sleepy.

Turning around to the door you hesitated before opening it tentatively. It was quiet and all the lights were off. Papyrus’ door was shut but your door and Sans’ door were wide open.

“I think they’re still in Papyrus’ room” You whispered back to Sans who was almost asleep already. Rolling your eyes you picked up Sans’ soaking wet jacket, wrung it out the best you could and slipped it on. It was freezing cold and soaking wet against your warm body but it was something.

You slipped out of the door quietly and peered around the corner cautiously into the living room. All the lights were off and nobody was there. Good.

Tip-toeing past Papyrus’ door you peered in yours. Danny wasn’t there either. Good.

Quickly opening the closet at the end of the hall you pulled out a bunch of towels and ran back to the bathroom, almost slipping on the wet tile again. Shutting the door Sans woke up, standing up slightly.

You tossed him a few towels.

“Here, dry up and then wipe up the floor please.” Sans sighed and did so. You slid off Sans’ jacket and dried yourself off and then the floors. In a few minutes everything was dry except for the towels. Hanging them on the rack, which was creaking from the weight, you both declared it ‘good enough’ and headed back to his room.

Finally in Sans room you threw on some of his old shirts and cuddled into bed, eager to fall asleep. He shut the door and chuckled at the sight of you.

“God damn you’re cute.” You smiled, too tired to say much of anything, and pulled the blankets around you. Sans pulled on one of his shirts as well and pulled up another pair of shorts before settling into bed.

Putting his arm around you, you settled onto his chest and started to drift off to sleep, listening to him breathe calmly as he traced your name gently onto your arm with his finger.

 

“SANS?”

 

That was – until Papyrus cried out tentatively. Sans shut both of his eyes and winced.

“Shit.” He stood up, “I’ll be right back.” He opened the door and walked down the hall. Curious, you followed him. Peeking from behind the door, you saw Papyrus bundled up in his pajamas in his racecar bed, his sheets pulled up nervously to his eyes. Sans walked in and sat down by his bed.

“What’s wrong, Pap?”

“I HEARD YOU AND THE HUMAN….I HEARD THE HUMAN SCREAMING. IS EVERYTHING OKAY?” Sans tried to hold it in, but he burst out laughing. From the hallway you couldn’t help but giggle. Papyrus looked very hurt and offended so Sans cut his laughter short and hugged Papyrus.

“I’m sorry bro. Everything’s okay, it was just a dream.” Papyrus squinted at him.

“WAS IT? YOU SMELL LIKE BONE COLOGNE AND SHAME.” Blushing Sans pulled away from the hug, scratching at his skull nervously. Papyrus sat up and put his hands on his hips.

“WHAT WERE YOU BOTH DOING?” Sans glanced to you for help and you entered the room, trying to compose yourself despite the fact that your hair was dripping wet and you were dressed messily in Sans clothes.

“We uh…we were just playing board games and we get way into board games.” Sans nodded in agreement. Papyrus looked a little convinced, but his eyes still squinted.

“YOU BOTH NEVER SEEM TO CARE WHEN YOU PLAY BOARDGAMES WITH ME.” Sans shrugged,

“That’s because it’s so hard to beat you, Pap. No sense trying as hard as you can if we know you’re just going to win.” Papyrus rolled his eyes.

“THAT’S RIDICULOUS, SANS. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TRY YOUR HARDEST.” After some light banter between the two brothers, and a final bedtime story – Papyrus was finally drifting off to sleep. But before he did completely you thought to ask,

“Wait, Papyrus, where is Danny?” Papyrus sat up for a moment, his eyes heavy from sleep as he tried to remember.

“DANNY? HM….OH YES, HE WAS ENRAPTURED BY MY PUZZLES UNTIL HE HEARD THE TWO OF YOU PLAYING BOARDGAMES IN THE OTHER ROOM. HE SEEMED DISTURBED OR UPSET SO HE SAID HE WAS GOING FOR A WALK. HAS HE NOT RETURNED?” You looked at Sans, who didn’t seem to care either way.

“Uh…no he hasn’t. Does he have your key to the apartment?” Papyrus nodded. Sans smiled.

“So everything’s good then! Let’s go to bed, Frisk I’m exhausted. Goodnight Pap.” You were still a little concerned, and had a few more questions but Sans shut the door gently and guided you back to bed. Curling in between the sheets you were positioned just as you were before but you found despite your exhaustion your mind wouldn’t rest.

Where had he gone?

And….why did you care so much?

Sans felt your tension and he squeezed your hand. You took a deep breath. Danny wasn’t your problem. You had no obligation to him. He was basically a stranger.

You felt better.

Laying on Sans chest you felt his body against yours and you were filled with a warm comforting sensation of happiness.

He grabbed your hand softly and gave it a squeeze.

“I love you.” He whispered gently into your ear. Your entire body sore and your mind completely wrapped around Sans you nuzzled into his chest.

“I love you, too.”

 

                                            


	20. Danny

Sans woke up around six hours later.

               The past few mornings waking up had been an unusual sensation. He was so used to bolting in a cold sweat and spending most of the morning in a nervous panic that the gentle morning quiet almost unsettled him just as much.

               Frisk was still curled up in the blankets fast asleep, her face scrunched up from a dream. Sans watched her for a moment with a soft smile on his face. She was beautiful and he was so lucky to have her in his life. He kissed her gently on the forehead and slipped quietly out of bed, entering the living room. Papyrus was already awake, his workout clothes on as he prepared for his morning jog.

               “WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME BROTHER?” Sans chuckled and declined, starting up some coffee. Papyrus shrugged and bolted out the door, not bothering to close it. Leaning against the counter, Sans thought back to last night.

               The soft, smooth curves of her body….

               The gentle, desperate noises she made….

               The undeniable satisfaction of pleasing her…

               God damn.

               Pouring himself the cup of coffee he chuckled. He had to think of anything else or he’d be antsy all day. Walking over the window in the living room he pulled the curtains back to watch monsters walking through the streets. Taking in the spectacular view he took a sip of coffee and sighed. If it wasn’t for two little parasites in his life this place would be perfect. Glancing back to Frisk’s room, Sans saw Danny’s bag was still sitting beside the bed – untouched from its place last night.

               Feeling a shift of mood, Sans pulled away from the window and sat at the counter, gripping the coffee cup a little tighter.

               Why did Frisk give a shit about this asshole?

               This guy knew her when she was five. Big deal. She was five and she’s already said a million times she hardly remembers anything.

               But the way he looks at her….

Sans glanced back at the book bag laying on the floor.

               There was something else. There had to be.

Nobody would be so attached with such a minimal history.

Standing up from the counter Sans looked again at the bag laying on the floor.

Why did he bring so much just to spend two nights?

               In a flash Sans was kneeling in front of the bag, his hands hovering above it. He was slightly afraid of what he might find, but reasoned it was better to know.

               He unbuckled it to see a stack of messy papers and pictures, a bunch of weird tiny metal tools, and most frighteningly – the bare cores of at least ten apples. The cores weren’t rotten in any way – they looked perfectly fresh, and therefore he must’ve eaten them all in a fairly short time.

               Sans felt both disturbed and satisfied when he saw the cores.

               He knew Danny was up to something – now he had his proof.

               His sense of alarm was cut short when he caught a glimpse at one of the pictures.

               It was wrinkled pretty badly, and seemed to be torn and stained in a few places.

               Pulling it out of the bag, Sans felt his chest grow tight.

               It was a picture of Danny and Frisk at a lake’s dock somewhere. Frisk seemed even older than she was right now – if only by a few years. She was sitting on Danny’s lap, kissing him softly. Her skin was tanner and her hair was lighter. The only sensation Sans could register was the hard thumping of his heart, echoing in his head.

               What?

               How…

               Another timeline.

               Danny was from another timeline.

               Feeling his mind race Sans dug through the pages and pictures, looking at each one.

               His jealously and passion rose as he flipped through pages of journal entries from Danny, recounting his falling in love with Frisk. There were letters from Frisk, at the beginning seeming innocent enough but over time becoming specific and inviting.

               There was one letter where Frisk asked to meet him in the woods after curfew.

               The rest of the letters were love letters between the two of them, and Sans couldn’t stomach to read those.

               The pictures, too, were nauseating. Frisk was climbing a tree with a broad smile on her face, extending her hand to the camera, Danny was halfway through eating a sandwich – his cheeks were full and he looked surprised. The two of them at the base of a mountain in hiking gear, posing in one picture and in the middle of a laugh in the next.

               At the end was a torn journal entry with a worn date Sans couldn’t read. There was only one sentence, and it was in Danny’s handwriting.

               “Then one day I woke up, and you were gone.”

               His mind racing faster and his heart pumping Sans felt the world around him was falling.

               If Danny came here armed with these memories he was planning – or at least hoping – to convince her to stay with him.

               Feeling his heart twitch Sans felt conflicted.

More than anything in this moment, Sans wanted to burn the evidence and keep Danny from ever seeing Frisk again. This wasn’t his timeline and Frisk wasn’t the same girl who had written all these notes and taken all these pictures. Danny either didn’t understand that, or he didn’t care.

               Regardless, that son of a bitch had no right.

Sans felt his anger seethe with insecurities.

               But what about Frisk?

               He respected her too much to lie to her….but if she saw all of this, would she change her mind?

               Sans realized he had still been holding the lake picture, his hand tightly bending the picture in his grasp.

The thoughts he had been holding back since he first fell in love with Frisk, since they first came to the surface came rushing to him.

               He was a skeleton. No matter how much he pushed down that thought he couldn’t escape the reality. When Frisk interacts more with humans and they ask about her love life what will she say? Will she proudly admit she’s with a skeleton?

               Sans imagined the scorn, disgust, and humiliation of her admission. Maybe she wouldn’t admit it. Feeling a hot sensation in the back of his neck Sans started to sweat. She hadn’t ever actually mentioned to Danny or Kevin that she was with him. She hadn’t even alluded to it. Was she embarrassed of him?

               Gripping the picture so tightly it had begun to rip a little, Sans stared agonizingly at the lake picture. 

               She had remembered him across timelines.

               “I just get this feeling that he knows who I am…or that he has a piece of me that I never knew I lost.”

               She had said that.

               Feeling his sanity spiral out of control Sans strangled the picture shakily until he felt tears of frustration drip down his face.

               She could never love him like she could love another human.

               How could she?

               He was stupid to think that he deserved her, to deserve any kind of happiness.

               How could he be so stupid to think his hell was over?

               Leaning forward with his hand in his hands he struggled to think of what to do.

               He could kill Danny.

               He could. He knew he could, it would be easy. He had torn through Kevin like a hot knife through butter. Even if Danny ate all the magic apples in the damn world he could kill him a hundred times over.

               Frisk would believe him if he said that Danny provoked him, or even that it was in self defense….

               But he couldn’t live with himself.

               Everyday would be torture, thinking that he was forcing Frisk to be with him.

               No.

               If he did that he would be just as bad as Danny.

               It was Frisk’s decision. She had to know.

               Leaning back, looking at all the pictures and letters, Sans felt he was surrounded by his own damnation.

               Feeling trapped and suffocated Sans started to breathe heavier, his mind flooding with unpleasant thoughts. Unable to stay in the room for a moment longer – Sans flashed out of the room.

 

               Papyrus was jogging through the streets of Aboveground, testing out his leg which had efficiently healed this morning, when he spotted Kevin walking sheepishly across the street, his shoulders scrunched tight to hide his face.

               “KEVIN!” Papyrus shouted excitedly, and with a quick leap was standing next to the boy. Kevin shakily spun around, terrified for a moment before remembering who Papyrus was.

               “Oh…it’s you….hi there.” Kevin didn’t make eye contact but rather shyed away. The scars on his face were deep and mangled, the skin twisting the healthy and scarred in an unfortunate ridge. His eye was pulled tight so that he couldn’t completely shut it, and the skin around the scars was a sickly bruised color. Papyrus immediately felt a pang of pity for the young human. Hesitating but deciding it was better not to mention it, Papyrus strolled beside Kevin wringing his hands.

               “SO KEVIN….WHERE ARE YOU OFF ON SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY?” Kevin meekly shuffled his bag over his shoulder, trying to hide his face from passerby.

               “I’m just going to work. The villagers gave up on remedies. Nothing seems to be working.” Seeing the distraught expression on Papyrus’ face, Kevin added quickly, “But, it could’ve been much worse if you hadn’t healed me. Thank you.”

               Touched, Papyrus walked beside Kevin in silence – sensing how insecure and scared he was. Papyrus laid a heavy hand on Kevin’s shoulder and stopped walking. Kevin turned to him, again avoiding his eyes. They had stopped in front of Grillbys, and Papyrus moved aside so they were talking closer to an alleyway, out of the way of sidewalk traffic.

               “KEVIN. YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR SCARS. NOBODY IN THE UNDERGROUND WILL LOOK AT YOU TWICE. WE WERE ALL SHOVED UNDERGROUND IN SUCH DESPAIR FOR THE FEAR FROM HUMANS THAT WE WERE HIDEOUS AND DIFFERENT.” Papyrus knelt down, feeling his heart swell with pride when Kevin slowly met his eyes with hesitation and fear. “I BELIEVE IN YOU, KEVIN. DO NOT BE AFRAID. YOU ARE NOT YOUR SCARS.” His eyes brimming with tears, Kevin hugged Papyrus – shaking slightly from all his pent up emotions. Overwhelmed, Papyrus patted him on the back, unaware that Kevin was so disturbed. After a moment, Kevin pulled away – his eyes locked on the ground before looking directly up at Papyrus.

               “Why are you being so nice to me?” Papyrus was confused at the question.

               “WHY SHOULDN’T I BE?” A small smile grew across Kevin’s face. Papyrus was so kind. He took a deep breath.

               “Papyrus. I’m sorry for kidnapping Frisk…” Kevin shuffled his feet, his eyes began to well with tears again. “I…I know it was wrong. I know it was stupid. I just….Danny was so upset. He wasn’t eating for days, all he was doing was walking through this town and climbing up that mountain. I got scared. He started talking to himself….he would go to the flower bed in town and just talk to himself for hours. When I finally found Frisk I thought they could talk and he would just stop….stop scaring me. I thought he would be happy.” Kevin was about to say more but he caught himself, a single tear dripped down his face. He wiped it away with the back of his hand like a child. Papyrus felt unsure of what to say. He too, had experienced moments with Sans where he didn’t understand why his brother was furious or miserable. He understood the feeling of just wanting to do anything to make him happy. But the fear and shame in Kevin’s eyes brought Papyrus a sense of uneasiness.

               “KEVIN… WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME ALL OF THIS?” Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Looking all around him, he seemed afraid. When he was satisfied with whatever he was looking for he took a step closer to Papyrus, visibly shaking.

               “Danny came home last night. He came back to visit me about five or six hours after the villagers tried to treat my scars. He told me that Frisk wasn’t acting like herself. He said she was too attached to um….your brother, Sans?” Papyrus nodded, his worry growing. “He broke down and he started talking to himself again. I got scared and I tried to get him to just let it go. I told him if she wanted to stay with the two of you there was nothing we could do but he didn’t hear me….he just got this distant look in his eyes and his expression changed. He started whispering to himself but…it didn’t sound like him. The voice was not one I’d ever heard before. It was gritty and hoarse.  And then suddenly he was gone.” Kevin crossed his arms, uncomfortable and scared.

               Papyrus wasn’t sure what to do with this information, he was caught off guard by all of it. Danny had seemed so even tempered and kind….except for when he left in a hurry last night. Standing up, Papyrus tried to find the words to say something – whether to rationalize Danny’s behavior or to comfort Kevin but he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

               That was when Papyrus noticed a flash of blue light from behind him in the alleyway, a flash that he would recognize anywhere. Sans had been here, listening to them. How much he had heard, why he was listening, what importance it had – Papyrus didn’t know.

               The day didn’t seem so beautiful anymore.


	21. Good Morning

You awoke slowly, feeling so well rested and comfortable.

You curled the blankets around you in a defiance of the morning – but you couldn’t help it. You had to wake up and start the day at some point.

               Sighing, you rolled onto your back.

               You laid there for a little while, watching the soft sunlight drift through the blinds and cast shadows across the opposite wall.

               Not wanting to get out of bed, you pulled the blankets around you until you were just a head in a big ball of sheets.

               “Sans! Come here I want to show you something!”

You knew he’d find it funny.

               A few moments passed and the mass of all the blankets was starting to make you sweaty. Maybe he couldn’t hear you. Or maybe he went out for lunch with Papyrus. With concentrated effort you squeezed yourself out of the blanket ball and fell out onto the floor.

               All of his sheets and blankets were now rolled into one messy ball on the center of his mattress. Laughing to yourself you wondered if that’s what he had been doing at the old house to make his bed look the same.

               Stepping out into the living room you looked around, you didn’t see either of the boys.

               Noticing the front door was open, you started to get a little worried until you noticed Papyrus’ work out shoes were missing. He had a habit of getting too pumped up.

               Shutting the door you giggled to yourself.

               Then you saw the coffee cup, almost full.

               Taking a small sip you cringed; it was straight coffee and freezing cold. Dumping it out in the sink you started boiling water to make some tea.

               Humming to yourself, you started to plan your day. In the back of your mind you were a little concerned about where Danny had left last night but you were confident he just felt awkward. Blushing, you recalled how loud you had been. It wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t help it.

               Swooning a little, you had to stop yourself from recalling last night. You wouldn’t get anything done today if you just kept thinking about it.

               Pouring the boiling water into your tea cup you decided you should at least get dressed for the day.

               You should wear something a little sexy, just to tease Sans.

               You had that light blue sundress he liked so much, the one that was open in the back….

               Grabbing your tea you walked over to your room, enjoying the peace and quiet of the sunlit apartment. Noticing the mess of papers and pictures all over the floor, you paused.

               Setting your tea on the bookshelf you hesitated looking at the mess. Danny must’ve come back last night or this morning looking for something.

               Not very interested in the mess of papers, you stepped around them to get to the closet. Pulling out the dress, you slipped it on. It was soft and flowy, although perhaps a bit short. Shuffling through the boxes you also took out the matching blue flats and a raindrop necklace that Asgore had given you a few years ago for your birthday. Checking yourself out in the mirror, you smiled. This was going to drive Sans crazy.

               Walking over to the desk to work on your hair you stepped on a picture.

               You bent down to pick it up, and upon seeing it you felt your thoughts melt away.

               It was a picture of Danny and……you?

               No.

               Was it?

               Your heart beating heavily in your chest you stood back up, confused.

 

               “Wow.”

               Startled, you spun around to see Danny standing there in the living room. He was looking you over in the dress, breathing heavily.

Something about him instantly unsettled you.

His hair was messy, his clothes were dirty, and his eyes were sunken as if he had been awake for weeks.

“Danny?” He took a few steps closer, not answering you.

As he stopped in the doorway you noticed his face was covered in some kind of dirt, or grey dust. A few tears streamed down as he stared at you, marking streaks down his face.

“You look so beautiful. It feels so great to hear you say my name…” Heart pumping you took a few steps away, feeling trapped. Something was wrong with him. His voice was rough and strained. His eyes were wild and crazy. They had lost all of their blue. He looked you over with light grey eyes. 

“D-Danny. Go back into the living room. I’ll um…I need to clean up the room real quick.” You stepped back a little more, a mounting fear growing as he didn’t move.

“Frisk. When you died….I…I lost myself. So much of me was apart of you, and without you….I was ready to kill myself. I would’ve done it. B-But then this little voice called to me and…” He took a step closer, his eyes widening and his hands shaking. “I found the power….I knew how to go back….I could take everything back and start over…..but I went too far…. I went too far and we were kids again.” He looked unsettled and he glanced at the papers on the ground briefly. “But as time went forward it was different. Things didn’t happen like they had before….you disappeared when you were young and nobody knew what happened. I was devastated….you were gone, again. After all my work.” He started laughing, an unsettling hoarse chuckle. He took another step, close enough to touch you.

“But the voice….th-the voice said to wait. So I did. I waited until the waiting made me crazy. Growing up twice….it’s not a pleasant experience. But….but finally you’re here.” He shakily drew his hand forward, in a motion to ask for yours. You were backed into a corner, terrified and confused.

“D-Danny. I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Y-you’re scaring me. Please, get away.” His eyes flashed red and his breathing grew heavier.

“You’re here. And you don’t remember anything. And you’re with that fucking skeleton. I don’t get it, Frisk. You love me!” He angrily picked up a handful of letters and pictures, shoving them on the bed. “Look! Read them! You loved me! You love me!” Tears still streaming down his face he grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him.

“Say that you love me. Frisk. Tell me that you love me.”

Terrified, you reeled back and punched him square in the face as hard as you could. He stumbled back, blood starting to dribble from his nose. Using the opportunity to escape you stepped quickly over the papers and once in the living room bolted for the door. Just as you reached the door, it started glowing with a red light. Pulling it as hard you could you found it wouldn’t open.

Spinning around, you saw Danny standing there with his hand raised and red magic glowing from his eyes.

“No. You’re not leaving me again.” His voice was almost gravelly in depth. His face was bent so that the shadow from his wild hair covered his eyes, which were glowing red. It reminded you of someone.

“Ch-Chara?” You shook, the very word flashing horrific memories back into your mind. Danny laughed low.

“So you remember me now? Finally.” Danny/Chara stepped forward, his magic had healed his nose but the blood had stained his face and shirt. “I don’t really understand this young man’s fascination with you but it proved useful.” Danny’s eyes faded back into the grey.

“Frisk. I….I don’t understand. After everything I’ve sacrificed to see you-”

Struggling to piece together what the hell exactly happened you stepped back into the kitchen, trying to get the most distance from yourself and Chara/Danny. Danny was alive inside of Chara but he wouldn’t be for long. You understood that feeling. You had felt it yourself.

“Danny. Listen to me –” There was a harsh gasp for air as Danny’s face contorted and the glowing red eyes returned.

“Enough.” Chara lifted up their hand and red magic swirled around their fingers. “I’m going to break every bone in your body until you reset.”

Your fear trumped by your adrenaline, your mind raced.

Chara must’ve be getting extremely weak to go to such drastic measures to ensure that they would survive. But there were pieces to the story you didn’t understand. Leaning on the counter you tried to keep Chara distracted while you grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer.

“You have a body right now, why don’t you make Danny reset?” Chara stepped closer to you, the red light shooting at your hand which was reaching in the drawer and you heard a sickly cracking noise. Pain shot through your entire body, although most was focused in your hand like a searing white hot burn and you screamed – although you could barely register that you had. Your wrist limp and the bones in your hand broken, you started to hyperventilate.

“Don’t try to play games with me, girl. And he can’t. For whatever reason he only had one reset in him. The most determined people can reset at will, whenever they wish…but your friend here only cared about you. He’s too weak.” Chara pulled an apple out of Danny’s pocket and took a bite. “But he’s a great conductor for all this raw power.”

Chara took a deep, slow breath and pointed a finger at you.

“Now reset.”

Leaning against the counter you struggled to breathe properly.

You thought about Papyrus and Sans, and how happy they were here.

A bolt of red lightning shot through your body and you felt your heart pulse rapidly, the tendons for the arm in your broken hand snapped, the forearm crunching disgustingly.

Feeling all the color drain from your face, your body started to go into shock. You broke out into a furious cold sweat and your vision started to blur. The pain started to fade into nothing as your body became numb. Falling onto the floor you screamed again as your arm hit the ground first. Pulling yourself away with your other arm you slowly made it out of the kitchen into the living room.

Chara was standing in the same spot, eyes focused on your miserable existence.

“Reset.”

And they raised another hand.

Flinching, you thought about Sans and his relief that you remembered him.

That all the monotony and misery was finally behind him.

That the nightmares had ceased.

That he could finally live a happy life.

Tears streaming down your face, you held onto life and gritted your teeth.


	22. Reset

“Reset.”

Your entire body shaking you prepared yourself mentally for the next attack. Your heart cried out to someone, anyone to save you – for you couldn’t bring yourself to speak.

The left side of your body was on fire and you couldn’t even feel the pain in your arm anymore – it was just a dull freezing sensation. Shaking on the floor you took a deep breath and used the summation of your energy to turn your head to look at Chara.

Staring icily into their eyes you were determined not to look away.

You would die.

You would rather die than reset one more time.

               As you were staring into Danny’s distorted face the red magic suddenly flickered away behind his eyes.

               “No!” Danny stood there, his face twisting in pain. His entire body started to shake and he groaned. Red magic kept trying to flare up within his eyes but he shut them, breathing heavily. Falling over, he leaned against the armchair of the couch and took steady breaths, his torso shuddering. From your miserable place on the floor you could see sweat dripping off of his forehead as his entire body began to shiver again.

               Danny looked over to you. His eyes were as bright and blue as the first time you met him.

               “F-Frisk….I’m so….I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes tight and strained himself as he rode out another painful shock. Chara was using the magic on his own body. Groaning until the pain drove him into a deep throated scream, Danny gripped the couch arm tightly. Bearing his teeth from the constant torture, Danny opened his eyes again – still crystal blue.

“I never wanted th-this….” A few thick, fat tears ran down his dirty face. “I j-just wanted to b-be with you again.” Taking a deep breath Danny tried to stand but found himself forced back down, pressed against the couch. He closed his eyes for a moment, holding back his tears. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving. He seemed to steady himself and the shaking had stopped. Standing up hesitantly, he opened his cobalt eyes.

“But you….you were happy. I should’ve left you alone.” His voice was solemn and quiet. His eyes locked onto the drawer you had tried to open. He stumbled forward, careful not to step on you – you could tell he wanted to help you but he had fear in his eyes. Chara wasn’t gone for good and he knew it. Hands shaking he pulled out a knife out of the drawer.

Looking back at you, he gave you a small smile.

“I…I’m sorry, Frisk. I’ll always love you….even if you don’t remember who I am.” Taking a deep breath he lined up the knife and plunged it into his stomach –

But before the knife made contact there was a slam and the apartment door burst open.

Your chest heaving from the difficulty in breathing, you couldn’t find the energy to turn to see who it was.

You heard a sharp gasp and a few quick footsteps before you felt your head being lifted onto someone’s thighs…..someone’s boney thighs….

Fluttering your eyes, you looked up to see Papyrus’ worried face as he shakily summoned his magic, focusing it on your broken and bruised arm. A rush of life was flushed into you and the cold shakiness faded away. Still feeling limp, but now able to lift your head you heavily turned to see the other entrant.

Sans was standing there, eyes narrowed and his magic already swirling around him like an airborne tsunami.

               At this distraction, Chara burst through Danny’s weak defense and the knife clattered to the floor. Cackling with satisfaction, Chara turned to you – eyes flaming with a passion that could only be described as blood thirsty.

               You felt your heart skip a few beats.

               No.

               Not Sans.

               You struggled against Papyrus, trying to stand and stop the fight but he held you tight down onto the floor – shielding you as much as he could while trying to finish healing you. His face was sweaty and his expression was terrified but he seemed determined to keep you safe.

              

               Sans felt determined, but glancing over at Frisk he felt his nerves shake. There was a small pool of blood oozing onto the kitchen floor, her arm was busted open, and all the color had drained from her face. His brother was bent over her, tears forming in gentle Papyrus’ eyes as he struggled to heal Frisk. Orange magic clumsily sparked all over her body – slowly working on the bones and muscles but it wasn’t nearly fast enough. Rage rising within him, Sans turned back to Danny who was laughing to himself. Feeling his fury surge through his magic, Sans lifted his hand and several sharp lines of light shot forward.

               To Sans’ surprise, the bastard lifted up his hand and the spears of light evaporated back into the air. Trying to shake it off, Sans’ summoned a barrage of gaster-blasters and focused all his magic on that sniveling little piece of shit. White light filled the room, blinding all of the occupants for a few minutes. Covering his eyes with his arm, Sans kept the magic flowing for as long as he could. When it finally started to fade, he took down his arm and saw to his horror he was no longer in the apartment.

               Spinning around he found he was alone in a completely pitch black space. Heart pumping, Sans’ lit up the area with his blue magic to find Papyrus and Frisk wide eyed the same distance away from him. Realizing time was a factor, Papyrus shook off his confusion and surprise and continued healing Frisk, a soft orange glow emanating their location. Taking a few steps, Sans found his breathing became heavier as he noticed he was standing in a garden of yellow flowers. A short distance away a red light started to glow, illustrating Danny’s figure.

               A laugh echoed around the space.

               Sans felt his mind race and his hands fold into fists.

               Chara.

               A pair of eyes lit up from the distance and the cackling continued.

               In an instant a spiraling wall of crimson magic rose behind the shadowy figure, the height of it towered hundreds of feet over Sans. With a flick of their hand, the rush of magic filled the air and the crimson crashed down on him. As quick as he was – Sans had just barely had enough time to cover himself in a shield of blue. Gritting his teeth, Sans held his hand up – pushing back against the constant barrage of fiery death.

                Sans was pushed further and further back until he was crouching on the ground pushing against the force with all his might. Sweating profusely, he took a deep breath and jolted forward – the red and the blue magic exploding in purple sparks before disappearing into the darkness.

               Breathing heavily, Sans tossed off his jacket – faintly registering a clanking sound as it hit the ground.

               The laughter rose up again, fading into a low growl.

               “Reset.”

               His mind racing, Sans looked immediately to Frisk, who’s eyes were wide and shiny. She looked to him in fear and he felt his heart drop. If he died, he knew Frisk would reset. No matter what she promised him, he could see it in her eyes. A hailstorm of fireballs started raining down on Sans, crashing harmlessly into the flowers but scalding him when they made contact. Dodging most of them, Sans dashed through them and furiously sent waves of blue energy at Chara. Caught off guard, Chara was knocked off the ground – howling in pain – but the satisfaction didn’t last.

               Chara disappeared and then reappeared closer to Sans, the flesh starting to melt off their skin. A wicked grin spread across their face as Sans shot beam after beam of energy at them without making contact. In a swift motion Chara raised their hand – at Papyrus.

               Eyes widening, Sans dashed in front of the blast, taking the hit at full force in his chest although he tried his best to soften the blow with a thin veil of magic. The wind knocked out of him he panted, bent over on hands and knees as he glanced back to make sure Papyrus was safe.

               Papyrus’ eyes were wide and his magic had stopped flowing into Frisk. Turning back to Chara Sans gasped sharply when he found the very figure that had haunted him his entire life.

               A mangled skeleton, with scars on his skull very similar to the ones Sans’ himself had engraved into Kevin – hovered over him, pulsing with red magic. Falling backwards, Sans shuffled away from the floating specter.

               It wasn’t real.

               Chara was torturing you.

               He isn’t here.

               This isn’t real.

               The specter spoke, a musical ring of gibberish filled the air. Heart pumping, Sans felt his body grow weak at the familiar tone.

               “Reset.”

               Eyes shooting over to Frisk, Sans saw Frisk struggle in Papyrus’ arms – trying to stand.

               Sans called out as loud as he could, though his voice was shaky.

               “Frisk…..don’t. No matter what happens – don’t reset.” Sans turned back to the mangled skeleton, twisting his heart strings as he stood up. Taking a deep breath, Sans focused his magic back into his body.

               It wasn’t real.

               It wasn’t real.

               It wasn’t real.

               Frisk needs you.

               Papyrus needs you.

               It isn’t real.

               Summoning thousands of glowing white bones, Sans pierced through the figure – a shriek filled the dark space and stung his soul.

               Falling to the ground, the figure writhed in pain.

               “SANS…..SANS WHO IS THAT?” Papyrus’ voice was shaking and his hold on Frisk was loosening. His eyes were locked on the specter, twisting from pain.

               Sans didn’t respond, but with tears in his eyes summoned a wave of blue magic to crash down on the figure – trying his hardest to block out the screams and musical cries for help.

               “SANS. STOP.” Papyrus had stood up, his hands were shaking and Frisk was lying on the ground, tenderly holding her injured arm – her eyes flickering between the two brothers.

               “Papyrus… it’s not….this isn’t him.” Looking away from his victim, Sans sent sharp thin spears of light through the body, wincing as the piercing screams filled the empty air.

               “SANS.” Papyrus was walking towards Sans now, tears filling his eyes. “STOP.” Orange magic started to glow around him as he approached his brother. Keeping his distance from Papyrus, Sans tried to steady his uneven breathing as he sliced once again through the cloaked, tortured skeleton. Papyrus immediately lifted his arm and Sans was frozen, surrounded by his brother’s orange magic.

               “SANS. PLEASE.” Papyrus kept his hand raised as he backed away and started running toward the fallen specter. Sans’ heart was racing, his worst fears colliding,

               “Papyrus no!”

               Screaming in frustration, Sans struggled against his brother’s magic to set himself free – but to no avail. Glancing over to Frisk, Sans found himself speechless – but she understood his desperation.

 

               Standing shakily to your feet, you stumbled over to where Sans’ jacket was. His face was flushed with confusion but melted away when you withdrew the knife he had confiscated from Danny. Now armed, you tried to chase after Papyrus. Stumbling a few times, a stinging sensation shocking through your left side you finally found your strength. Papyrus was already standing above the figure before you could make it halfway – when the musical voice of the specter echoed around the room.

               You didn’t understand a word of it, but Papyrus and Sans seemed to.

               They both grew still and quiet, listening intently – although Sans had a pained expression throughout.

               After a moment, Papyrus knelt down slowly next to the figure, reaching his hand out hesitantly. Only a few feet away from him now you called out to him, terrified. As if startled from a trance, Papyrus turned around – and in that moment the specter shifted back in Danny/Chara, a bloodthirsty wicked grin spread clear across their face. Reaching Papyrus, you shoved him out of the way and attempted to swipe at Chara but in a flash of red you were pushed aside, falling face down into the dirt. Panting, you lifted yourself up, and turned back to face them.

               Papyrus was stunned, his eyes locked in the distance, trying to remember who the specter had been.

               Sans – still trapped by his brother’s magic was screaming at Papyrus to release him, but Papyrus couldn’t hear him.

               Chara’s eyes flashed brighter at your eye contact.

               “Reset.”

               Raising two hands – Sans and Papyrus were engulfed in a red light and lifted into the air.

               “Reset.”

               The red light started to pulse and their twin screams filled the air as the magic crushed around them.

               “RESET.”

               Fury rising in your chest you lunged at Chara, the knife sinking into the soft flesh of Danny’s stomach. Almost surprised, Chara dropped the skeleton brothers, pushing you away back into the dirt. Angrily, Chara stepped over you – red magic swirling above and around you – making you unable to see anything but Chara and the wall of crimson. 

               “Danny. Please.” You spoke softly and looked firmly into Chara’s eyes. A flash of blue lit through the red for a moment and the wall of flames around you flickered. Encouraged, your heart racing, you continued.

               “Danny. I-I never really knew you, but if you ever loved me. Please help me.” The blue flashed back longer, enough for Danny to assume a melancholy expression before Chara’s bloodthirst broke through. The knife was still stuck in Danny’s stomach, blood dribbling out – bleeding onto his shirt.

               You could feel the red magic squeezing your chest as you were lifted into the air, compressing your lungs. It became more difficult to speak. Tears of frustration ran down your face as you stared down at Chara.

               “Danny……Please.” The wall of crimson flickered, as if a switch was shuttering on and off until it finally died. You fell to the ground, the air knocked out of you momentarily. Taking a few deep breaths you scrambled to your feet and ran over to Danny, who had fallen over on his back. Breathing erratically, the blood gushing from the knife wound now – he pulled out the knife slowly and handed it to you.

               “Goodbye, Frisk.” He closed his eyes, a single tear dripping down the side of his face as a small, sad smile spread across his expression. “I’ll always love you.”

               Hesitating you glanced back to see the skeleton brothers, standing a while back – their eyes wide, focused on you. Turning back to Danny you leaned in and kissed him gently on the forehead. Another tear rolled down his face – he didn’t open his eyes.

               “Just do it. Please.” Your heart pumping heavily in your chest you thrust the knife deep in his chest. He gasped for air as blood streamed from both wounds, but after a few moments of struggled breathing he grew silent.

               Staring at his lifeless body, you fell to your knees, tears rolling silently down your face.

               You felt a hand on your shoulder, but you didn’t turn around.

               A few heavy moments passed.

               You stood up and turned around to hug Sans. Burying your head in his boney shoulder you let the tears soak into his shirt. You felt the world around you grow faint and distant and in a flash you, Sans, and Papyrus were all standing back in the apartment – a solemn silence hung in the air.


	23. Unexpected Visitors

The new few days were a blur. You were brought to the hospital immediately that night and under the care of top healers you were feeling better by the third day. You still couldn’t move your arm, but it no longer hurt to walk and your blood levels were stable again. Sans never left your side.

At night the doctors brought him a blanket – he would lay back in the visitors chair and fall asleep holding your hand.

The whole time you felt as though time was moving slowly.

A heavy cloud of guilt hung over you during your stay.

Every moment where Sans made you smile made you feel worse for some reason.

At his touch, you would flinch.

You felt so jumpy and miserable.

Sans knew you were upset and he was there for you no matter what you wanted. He respected when you wanted your space and he was there when you called for him.

At the moment you were curled up in bed, your arm in a cast hanging over the edge of the bed. Sighing, you felt the sadness shift through you.

The door to your hospital room opened.

It was Sans bringing you a plate of waffles. He set it on your bed table with a soft smile.

“They weren’t serving muffins today…sorry.” Overlapping his hand with yours you returned the smile although you didn’t feel cheerful.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

He sat back down in the chair, his forehead burrowing in concern as you shuffled over to push the plate closer to you.

“Oh, sorry – let me help you.” With a gentle flick of his hand blue magic enveloped the plate and fork and brought them to the perfect level for you. Happy, you lifted up the fork and started eating – the blue surface as steady and hard as a table.

“Thank you, Sans.” His smile slowly drifted as you started eating.

Something was broken between the two of you since Danny died and Chara disappeared. He hadn’t said much, though he had been as affectionate as ever.  His eyes were constantly glassed over, miserable thoughts drifting through his mind. You wanted to speak to him, get him to just open up about it – but you couldn’t. You were too miserable yourself.

“Oh, hello…Frisk?” A thin Pyrope nurse coiled into the room. “You’re approved for dismissal if you’re feeling ready to go home. We have your papers and prescriptions on the lobby floor, make sure to pick them up as you leave.”

After finishing your breakfast, Sans helped you change into some loose clothes and after filling your prescriptions the two of you walked home.

 

               Upon reaching the apartment you realized you hadn’t seen Papyrus since that night. Sans unlocked the door and you both walked into the dark apartment. The blinds had been shut and all the lights were off. You felt a little uneasy. Sans looked suspicious too, shutting the door behind the both of you – his eyes darting around the space.

               Suddenly the lights flickered on and confetti shot from all four corners of the room. Papyrus and Undyne jumped up from behind the couch and Alphys shuffled in from behind the kitchen counter.

               “SURPRISE!!!!” Undyne ran over to tackle you both but Sans – protective of your arm froze her with blue magic before she could reach you.

Her eye squinted in confusion until you raised your broken arm apologetically and she nodded. Sans released her and she gracefully dropped to the floor in a crouching position.

               “Ah come on, don’t tell me you’ve gotten all soft on me just because of a few broken bones.” Undyne sauntered over and tousled your hair, flashing you a huge smile. You gave her a deep hug and giggled. You had missed her energy and spirit more than you realized. Hugging you back, she nodded to Sans.

               “Although I bet you’re pretty familiar with bones after being around this one so much, right Frisk?” Pulling away from the hug you blushed deeply, and with a quick glance at Sans you saw he was too.  Undyne tossed back her head and laughed. “What?? You think I never noticed the way you both made googly eyes at each other! Come on!” Papyrus walked over, his hands on his hips – confused.

               “IN WHAT WAY DID THEY MAKE GOOGLY EYES TO EACH OTHER?” Undyne chuckled, slapped Papyrus on the back without answering. In a fit of frustration Papyrus spun around, squinting at Sans accusingly. He leaned over to Sans and whispered loudly. “WHY IS THE HUMAN FAMILIAR WITH YOUR BONES, SANS?” And after a moment of thought he added, “AND WHY DID THE HUMAN KNOW WHAT MAGIC FELT LIKE?”

               Sweating profusely, Sans pushed through Papyrus and pointed to Alphys,

               “Oh! Alphys! It’s great to see you! Lets uh….let’s hear about what you guys have been up to.”

               “WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER ME!?!?!”

Undyne laughed loudly and pulled Papyrus into a noogie. Squirming, Papyrus tried his best to escape and failed. Eventually he hung limp in her arms until Undyne released him. You walked over to Sans, who was eagerly trying to change the topic with Alphys. You hugged Alphys softly for a moment and she smiled happily at you, pushing back her glasses.

               “It’s great to see you both!” You said, turning back to include Undyne, who was engaged in a play-wrestle with Papyrus.

You thought about it for a minute, confused.

“But – wait I thought you both weren’t scheduled to leave until next year.” Alphys shuffled nervously, sitting down in the love seat.

               “Oh yes we were – but Asgore called us out of the blue and asked if we wanted to leave early. He had heard that you were in the hospital and he wanted to make sure you had enough protection.” Alphys smiled, but it faltered after a thought, “How did you hurt yourself anyhow?” Before you could answer Sans interrupted, seeming fixated on something.

               “Wait – Asgore called you both to protect Frisk?” Alphys nodded, before shrugging and shaking her head,

               “Well uhm. Technically I guess he just asked Undyne to protect her, but lately it’s like we’re a package deal.” She blushed. “Not that I minded….stepping out onto the surface….it’s incredible up here.” Sans slowly nodded, seeming disturbed about something. Noticing this, but not wanting to point it out in public you continued.

               “So um, when did you both get in? And where are you staying?”

               Behind you there was a shout as Undyne suplexed Papyrus – just because she could – and Papyrus had hopped back up in an attempt to sweep her leg.

He failed.

               Alphys gestured to the apartment,

               “We’re actually staying right down the hall from you guys. We just got here last night. Everything has been such a whirlwind.” Alphys blushed as Undyne walked over to join the conversation with Papyrus stuck in her headlock – squirming as hard as he could to get out.

               “Yeah! We haven’t even had time to unpack!”

Papyrus’ spoke from behind her arms, muffled and confused.

               “YOU HAVEN’T? BUT YOU’VE BEEN HERE FOR HOURS – WHAT HAVE THE TWO OF YOU BEEN DOING?” Alphys turned a deep shade of red and Undyne blushed, cackling nervously.

               “So uh. Anyways – would you guys like to walk around town with us? We were thinking it’d be fun to go out tonight.” Undyne nudged you gently, Papyrus still stuck in her grip, “I’m sure you’ve been restless all cooped up in that hospital.” You shrugged,

               “That sounds fine to me, y’know we’ve been here for over a week and I still haven’t really seen the town.”

Sans looked over to you, whatever internal discretion he was having seemed to have passed at the sight of his brother wrestling with Undyne. He flashed you a smile and a wink. Your heart fluttered. It had seemed forever since he had that cocky smile on his face.

               “Where to, ladies?” Alphys pulled out her phone eagerly.

               “I uhm…there were a few places I found I thought might be fun...” She scrolled for a moment before she spoke again, excited. “A karoke bar just opened a few nights ago – it’s right across from the comedy club.” At this Papyrus slipped out of Undyne’s grasp and struck a pose.

               “PERFECT! MY SOOTHING SERENADES SHALL RID OUR MINDS OF THE RECENT UNPLEASANTNESS! RIGHT, SANS?” Sans shrugged, chuckling. Undyne turned to you, a little concerned.

               “Unpleasantness?” You shook it off. You were so happy to see the both of them, you truly didn’t want to think about the last few days for a while. You just needed a night where you didn’t have to picture Danny’s tortured face or the consequences of what you did.

               “I’ll tell you about it later….it’s….a lot happened.” Undyne nodded respectfully and turned back to the conversation.

               Alphys excitedly put her phone down and turned to the group,

               “Okay so we’ll meet up later tonight around six – is that okay with everyone?” Everybody agreed and gathering their confetti cannons, Undyne and Alphys waved goodbye and started down the hall.

               Feeling happy for the first time in a few days, you sat down on the couch –trying not to let your thoughts drift to darker places. Sans sat next to you while Papyrus retreated into his room to change. Sensing your disconnect, he leaned forward and took your hand.

               “You okay?” You turned to him and shrugged. You weren’t. None of you were. You could even tell Papyrus was overcompensating for his normal energetic persona.

Sans nodded softly.

               “I know. Me neither. Do you want to talk about it?” You nodded, feeling a few tears start to run down your face from his gentle gesture.

               Retreating into the privacy of his room the two of you talked for over an hour.

You spoke about the confusion and guilt you felt – you still didn’t remember the other timeline with Danny, and although you had no obligation to Danny he clearly cared for you and you couldn’t be heartless to that fact. You felt horrible that you indulged him by allowing him to stay with the two of you, and you felt stupid that you hadn’t realized Chara’s hold on him earlier.

Sans took your hand softly and told you that there was no reason for you to feel guilty. Danny knew what had to be done and he asked you to end it for him. Chara would’ve used his body to hurt people further and Danny understood the consequences. You nodded, wiping the tears from your eyes as Sans hugged you.

You asked him to tell you how he felt, and at first he was hesitant but eventually he spoke. He didn’t tell you everything – you could tell that much – but you were honored that he trusted you enough to tell you anything at all. He spoke a little of the specter he had been so unnerved by. He shakingly told you the figure had been someone he cared about, but of that he said nothing more. He did speak softly of how he had never seen Papyrus so upset. He was worried about how Papyrus might process what he’d seen.

After some hesitation he also spoke of Danny.

He said he still didn’t understand why Danny felt entitled to you – but rewording himself he regrettably added that he was jealous. In a soft, broken voice he spoke of his insecurities. How he felt he could’ve never been everything you wanted, as he wasn’t human. In the back of his mind he felt that you would’ve always preferred Danny over him.

“Sans….” You pulled him close to you, hugging him tightly and feeling how tense he was. “I love you. Nothing Danny said or could’ve said would’ve changed that. He had an unfortunate past and I will always remember what he sacrificed for us – but I love you.” You pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

“And I don’t give a shit if you’re a human or you’re a skeleton. You’re you, and I love you…..so long as you can bring me to the Bone Zone.” A smile broke over his face and he chuckled. You both sat there in silence, feeling so in sync and connected after the exhausting conversation.

After a moment you spoke up again, looking over him teasingly.

“So wait -you were jealous?” Sans blushed and laid down on the bed, pulling his hood up, putting his arms behind his head and shrugging.

“Eh. I don’t know. A little.” You laid down beside him, beaming. You narrated the predicament like an old tv announcer.

“You were just too entranced by my beauty, too blinded by my incredible personality – you had to have me all to yourself.” Sans chuckled, his face turning even bluer. You pulled back his hood and sat up, tickling him with your good hand.

“You couldn’t stand the thought of your true love being swept off her feet by some charlatan, huh? You had to do something – anything to assure your rightful place in her heart.” Sans bust out laughing, twisting away from you. Encouraged you pinned him down and sat on top of him, tickling his rib bones. Your announcer voice turning into a 1920’s detective voice.

“You stole the jewels, didn’tcha? Didn’tcha!?” Sans laughed even harder, squirming out of your grasp and holding your hands together so you couldn’t tickle him. His face beaming he looked you over, so proud and satisfied to be with you.

The two of sat there in a happy silence, giggling occasionally and breathing slightly louder from the struggle.

Suddenly he pulled you into a kiss, and felt your heart flutter.

Pulling you ontop of him you both passionately kissed while the sun drifted over the two of you through the blinds – enjoying the sensation of being together, of momentarily feeling at peace, and of feeling so loved, trusted, and safe.


	24. Last Minute Invitation

As the afternoon rolled along, you and Sans left to pick up some lunch from Grillbys. Walking up to the new location you felt a twinge of uneasiness in your stomach.

Kevin worked here.

Papyrus had met with Kevin and gently told him the sorry news while you were in the hospital. Although you and Sans were quite worried about the outcome of telling him, Papyrus recalled that Kevin didn’t seem to blame any of you at all.

Still you were cautious.

Papyrus wasn’t always the best at interpreting emotional context, and sometimes small but important details flew over his head.

Sans opened the glass door and gestured for you to walk through – the sound of jingle bells rang to alert your presence. There were a few monsters, regulars from the old place – but besides that the bar was mostly empty. Walking up to Grillby, Sans hopped up at the counter looking all the world like he was in his element.

“Hey Grillby, hows it goin’?” You sat down next to Sans, smiling politely to the flamesman. Grillby shrugged and gave a small smile, gesturing to a ketchup bottle. Sans chuckled.

“Well I mean, sure if you’re offering.” Setting the ketchup bottle on the counter, Grillby returned into the kitchen before you could order. Seeing your expression Sans chuckled.

“I called ahead of time.”

“Oh.” You giggled and slipped your hand inside of Sans’. Waiting at the counter, Sans offered you some ketchup. Despite your many declinations, Sans kept offering it until you took it and regretfully took a sip. Spitting it out onto a napkin, you felt your face grow red as Sans burst out laughing.

“Hey, guys.”

It was Kevin, wearing an apron and holding the dish bin.

Startled, the both of you jumped and Sans set the ketchup down with a solid crack – breaking the bottom of the glass bottle. Sweating a little, Sans cleaned up the mess with a few napkins and then set it aside.

“Hi Kevin, it’s….it’s nice to see you.” You spoke softly, seeing how he avoided eye contact with the both of you. The scars on his face had started to turn a shiny purple and the skin had healed permanently in a mangled, disturbing way. You immediately recognized the scars from something else……the specter. You decided to save that thought for later.

Kevin shuffled the dish bin around, his face flushing noticing you were staring at his scars.

“Yeah. It’s….it’s….”

His eyes were heavy and sad – and it looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep.

Yet he didn’t seem angry or vengeful in any way….just miserable.

“It’s uhm. Nice to see you both too.” He looked over to Sans for a moment, but with Sans’ heavy eye contact he flickered back to you – clearly still intimidated. “Where’s Papyrus?”

“He’s back at the apartment, we ordered some food to go for him.”

Kevin smiled lightly, his eyes seeming to break through the misery for a moment.

“Spaghetti?”

You laughed a little, although it was mostly to fill the awkward tension.

“Yeah, you know how Papyrus is…” Kevin nodded, his smile falling and the sadness clouding his eyes once again. Sans shifted in his seat, holding the dripping mass of broken glass and ketchup tenderly. Furthering the awkwardness Sans slowly leaned forward and placed the broken mess into the dish bin, smiling apologetically up to Kevin.

Nobody spoke for a moment.

It was awful.

“So uh,” Sans coughed, scratching the back of his head, “What are you up to tonight?” You glanced at Sans, unsure of where he was going with this. Kevin too, looked a little confused.

“Oh uhm. I get off work at five….Normally I would go fishing down by the lake with Danny but now I….” The words caught in his throat and he stopped himself, his face turning red. “I….I don’t have anything planned. Why?” Sans tensed his shoulders, his hand still behind his skull, scratching nervously –

               “Just uh…well….we’re going out tonight with some friends and y’know. After uh…after everything that happened I figured….I mean, I just know Papyrus gets along really well with you and I…I know I haven’t been quite as….”

               “Would you like to come out with us tonight? We’re going to a karaoke bar at six.” You rescued Sans, glancing at him incredulously, wondering what made him so inarticulate. Sans blushed deeply and looked over at you gratefully.

Kevin adjusted the dish bin under his other arm, seeming genuinely touched.

“Oh…that’s really nice of you.” He thought for a moment, looking up at Sans with a smile, “I’d love to come actually. Thank you for inviting me.” Remembering suddenly that you still had Kevin’s number you spoke once more before he took off into the kitchen,

“I’ll text you where we’re meeting, okay?” He paused for a moment, having also forgotten you had his number before nodding and retreating into the backroom, passing Grillby with your order.

Grillby looked back at Kevin and as he set the food on the counter he turned to Sans, speaking in a rusty soft voice.

“His face – was that you?” Sans shifted his eyes aside and shrugged. Grillby returned to his normal posture and nodded, cleaning the counter. Sans picked up the bags and lead the way out of the restaurant. As soon as you both were outside you turned to him,

“What was that?”

“What was what?” You laughed a little incredulously,

“Inviting Kevin, I thought you ‘had no affinity’ for him after he kidnapped me?” Sans shrugged, his eyes twinkling.

“I’m not a monster, geez.” Then he paused, turning to you with a huge wink, “Well, technically I am but you know what I mean. His brother died. I’m not heartless.” Sans paused again, chuckling to himself. “Well technically-” You groaned, laughing and stealing from fries from the bag,

“I get it, I get it….man, you’re turning into such a little softie, Sans.” Giving you a smirk he leaned in and whispered.

“You of all people know there’s one part of me that isn’t so soft.”

Blushing profusely, you threw your fries at him.

“So childish, Frisk. Really.”

Picking a fry out of his eye socket he glanced around and then ate it.

“Ew! Sans!”

He shrugged, laughing,

“What! My body, my rules – right?” Giggling, you slipped your hand into his as you both walked back to the apartment.

 

You called out as Sans set the food on the counter.

“We’re home!”  

Papyrus burst out of his room dressed in clothes you hadn’t seen before. Wearing a button up shirt with a suit jacket and matching pants, Papyrus strutted out dramatically.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK, HUMAN?” Giggling, you looked him over.

“Very nice, very nice. Where did you get that?” Papyrus sat down at the table, carefully placing a napkin on his lap.

“I WALKED AROUND TOWN YESTERDAY AND FOUND A FEW CLOTHING STORES. THIS SEEMED MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A NIGHT OUT.” Sans shrugged,

“Doesn’t it seem a little fancy for a karaoke bar, bro?” Papyrus rolled his eyes,

“OF COURSE NOT. ON THE INTERNET, PEOPLE DESCRIBED APPROPRIATE CLOTHING FOR BARS AS DRESS-CASUAL. THIS IS NOT TECHNICALLY A SUIT, IT IS A CASUAL SUIT PIECE-”

“But suit is in the name. It’s a suit.”

“SANS! IT IS A CASUAL SUIT PIECE!”

“……so it’s a suit.”

“NO! SANS YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CLOTHING!”

“I don’t think that’s fair. I know a lot about clothes.” Papyrus squinted closely at his brother. You tried your hardest to stifle your laugh.

“THE ONLY CLOTHES YOU OWN ARE T-SHIRTS, SWEATPANTS AND JACKETS!”

“No. I have shorts, too.”

“SANS!!!!” Papyrus leapt from the table, his fist raised to the sky in a dramatic display of frustration. Sans chuckled in his seat, pulling a bottle of ketchup from the bag and taking a swig. Laughing, you gently pulled on Papyrus’ arm to get him to sit back down.

“So we ran into Kevin while we were getting food.” Papyrus’ expression immediately shifted into one of concern.

“OH, HOW IS HE? HE SEEMED SO DISTRAUGHT THE LAST TIME I SPOKE WITH HIM….”

“Well….he seemed a little upset still. I mean, it’s to be expected…but we invited him to come with us ton-” Papyrus leapt up from the table again, his knees lifting it up slightly and slamming it back down.

“KEVIN IS COMING?!?!” He watched you intensely. You glanced at Sans – your eyes wide and confused.

“Uh……yeah.”

“I HAVE TO CHANGE!!!!” Papyrus bolted back into his room and slammed the door.

A few napkins fluttered back down to the table.

Sans looked over at the door and then back to you.

“…..so that was weird.”

You nodded, turning around at the noise of Papyrus tripping over something and falling into the wall.

“Yeah. You might want to keep an eye on that.” Sans winked at you, his eye glowing blue.

“Got it.”

You both ate in good humor, laughing and joking about several different things. It was easy to forget all the heartache with Sans – nothing stayed serious for too long. When you both were finished, Papyrus still hadn’t emerged from his room. You cleaned up the table and put the dishes away while Sans sat on the counter and frustrated you by closing drawers with his magic that you had just opened.

After everything was done he hopped down from the counter slipping an arm around you.

“So what are you gonna be wearing, hm?” You shrugged, laughing a little.

“Well my date is probably going to wearing sweats so I wouldn’t want to make him look bad.” Sans pretended to look offended, pulling away from you.

“Me? I happen to be a very dapper dresser, thank you very much.” You raised your eyebrows, walking over to the couch and laying down.

“Is that so? How come I’ve never seen it?” Sans smiled wide and sat next to you, running his hands through your hair.

“You never asked.”

Giggling, you nuzzled your head into his side and looked up at him, smiling.

 “Well I’m asking now.” Standing up, Sans shrugged.

“Alrighty then – you’re the boss. If you want me to dress up, I will.” He leaned in closely, caressing your face with his hand, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Before you could laugh and ask what he meant, in a flash he was gone.

You laughed aloud to yourself, hopping up to look through your closet to find a dress.

It was on.


	25. Favorite Customer

“Alrighty then – you’re the boss. If you want me to dress up, I will.” Sans leaned in closely, hesitating as he was caught by how beautiful Frisk’s eyes were. Trying to cover up the pause he added, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Disappearing in a hurry, Sans reappeared on the streets far beneath the apartment. Just in case anyone was looking out their window watching him leave, he maintained a casual composure as he strolled down the sidewalk – but inside he was anxious.

Earlier in the day when they had their heart to heart Sans hadn’t been completely honest.

Danny had left behind all of his letters and pictures. There were probably enough clues in there for Frisk to figure out what happened in that other timeline – possibly give her a hint at where her family might be in this one.

Sans hadn’t told Frisk about any of it.

The papers and pictures were shoved in a box inside of Sans’ closet.

He wasn’t sure how much she knew.

He wasn’t sure he wanted her to know.

Turning the corner away from the apartment, Sans took a deep breath and leaned against the wall to a corner market.

Sliding down the wall, Sans sat with his knees pulled to his chest.

Frisk had said that she loved him.

               But she could never love him the way he loved her.

               Closing his eyes, Sans shifted through his thoughts. Being ripped away from Frisk at every reset was emotionally devastating. To go from having passionate sex one day, looking into her beautiful eyes and feeling happier and more loved than he ever had before – to suddenly being forced to pretend like he was only her friend was painful. Starting the courtship over and over again had left him with a throbbing worry that it would be taken away from him at any moment.

               He shuffled his jacket tighter around himself.

               It had also left him with feelings so immense for her, she couldn’t possibly hope to reciprocate. The more time he spent with her, the deeper he fell for everything about her. He had endured the same conversations hundreds of times, but he pursued them anyway just to hear how sweet her voice was. There were moments when he looked over at her now and he couldn’t believe she could possibly exist. She was too pure for him.

               His mind drifted to the fight with Chara and shame washed over him.

               For the second time he wasn’t there when she needed him. Just envisioning her broken, bloody and pale in Papyrus’ arms set his nerves on fire.

               He could’ve fought Chara better.

               He had power beyond belief but seeing Frisk like that….he felt weak.

               Frisk had to defend herself…and as courageous and versatile as she was – he never wanted her to have to do so again.

Picturing the tears streaming down her face, torn and bloody as he leaned over to kiss Danny goodbye, Sans felt another emotion well up from inside of him.

               He knew from the deepest depths of his soul that Danny and Frisk were supposed to be together. He could sense the power of their connection.

Standing up from the concrete, Sans joined the crowd walking through the street. 

Remembering how Danny was with Frisk, Sans felt the jealousy sink slowly into his body.

Their contact was smooth and organic. And Danny’s physicality was much more appealing than his own. Sans shoved his hands deep into his jacket so he wouldn’t have to see his bones.

And as much as she would never admit it, Frisk had been entranced by Danny from the moment she met him. She looked at him shyly, like a child in the shadow of their hero. Sans could tell.

Trying to calm his inner turmoil, Sans involuntarily shrugged.

Maybe his jealousy was tainting the memories a little.

Frisk had never given him any reason to think she didn’t love him…but….

Sans walked past Grillbys and saw his reflection in the glass.

How could she be? Sans lifted up a hand, watching how his body moved throughout the motion.

Frisk was vibrant and so alive….she was warmth, happiness, comfort, and passion.

But himself?

Sans let his hand drop before he shoved it back in his pocket.

He was cold.

He was calculating.

He was tired.

How could he ever hope to keep her attention?

 

The sudden shaking of the storefront startled Sans and he jumped back, noticing that it was only the shaking of the door opening.

Grillby was standing there, silently watching him.

Embarrassed, Sans waved to him and turned to walk away, but he heard the crackling voice speak strongly,

“Sans.” Turning back to face the flamesman, Sans put on his best smile.

“Yeah?” Grillby didn’t move, just stood there in the doorway staring at Sans. The skeleton shuffled uncomfortably until Grillby walked out completely and shut the door behind him.

“Sans.” Grillby didn’t say anything else, but his purpose was clear. He knew Sans was upset. The skeleton felt compassion rise in his chest but he quelled it.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle – I just uh…need to go find some nicer clothes for tonight.” Grillby crossed his arms, his eyes invisible from the glare on his glasses. His intent was clear regardless. Sans chuckled at his disbelief.

“I genuinely need help getting some nice clothes.” For a few moments nothing happened.

Then Grillby nodded and disappeared inside the restaurant for a few moments.

After a minute or so he reappeared and stood patiently next to Sans. Sans was a little confused.

 “Are….you actually going to help me?” Grillby nodded, pointing to the suit and tie store on the block. Sans protested,

“I uh….was actually just thinking of checking out the thrift store and seeing what they had-” Sans felt the back of his jacket flare up as Grillby started dragging him across the street toward the suit and tie store.

Catching his feet and brushing off the remaining flames, Sans glanced over at Grillby –  just now realizing for the first time that the flamesman had always been impeccably dressed. Sans sighed, chuckling to himself.

“No need to be so hot headed.”

Grillby crackled loudly, flames snapping mid-air.

Sans laughed, shrugging. “I know, I know. No puns.”

 

 

After trying on a bunch of different combinations, Sans felt ready to give up. Stores made him anxious and almost everything he put on emphasized how quite literally boney he was.

Finally Grillby tossed over the red and black suit, knocking on the door happily.

He felt this was it.

Feeling sick of shopping, Sans took off the last suit and redressed himself in the new one.

He looked fuller.

Sans turned around in the dressing room, checking from all angles. The way it hung was perfect for hiding his rib bones. Smiling wide he opened the door and Grillby nodded with approval, leaving the dressing room.

Unsure of where he was going, Sans hurriedly changed back into his street clothes and chased after Grillby who was in the shoe section, selecting from select pairs of black dress shoes. Sans thought quietly to himself that they all looked exactly the same.

Grillby turned around and pointed to his foot. Sans held up his slippers so the flamesman could compare the sizes.

Eventually Grillby pulled out a box of shoes and shoved them into Sans’ arms, finally completing the meticulous errand.

 

Turning to head back to the apartment, Sans chuckled – thanking Grillby one last time.

Grillby looked very grave as he rose a hand cautiously. Sans stopped in his tracks. The flamesman stared at him intensely for a few moments before he spoke.

“Too much pressure and you will crack.” His voice was soothing in its ashy tone. Sans hesitated.

“Oh. Thanks. I’ll….I’ll try to keep that in mind. “

Grillby turned back into the restaurant, disappearing behind the reflective glass.

Sans stood there thinking for a moment.

He would show Frisk the pictures and letters.

He had to know she was happy.

He had to be fair to her.

His grip tightening on his new clothes, Sans took a deep breath.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to make her love him a little more first…..just in case.


	26. Sansational

Turning around to admire yourself in the mirror you felt satisfied. If it wasn’t for your cast, you would’ve felt perfect.

After a lot of narrowing down, you had finally decided on your dress. It was a sexy, blood red satin dress that showed off your curves perfectly. Remembering how brisk it could get at night you brought along a small black jacket.

After putting on the dress you realized you hadn’t ever had to chance to wear it out before. You absolutely would’ve remembered.

You had curled your hair and then tousled it out so your curls were loose and wavy.

You had put just the lightest layer of makeup on, complete with lipstick just a few shades redder than your natural color.

You even painted your nails which you rarely ever did.

Taking out a ruby heart necklace from the bottom of your jewelry box you carefully put it on. Stepping into your sharp red and black heels you did one final spin.

Sans was going to have a heart attack.

Opening the door to your room quietly, you peeked out. You didn’t want Sans to see you before you were out with your friends. You wanted to tease him so badly in public so that he had to wait all the way until the night was over before he could do anything about it. Feeling satisfied that he wasn’t there you stepped out of the room to test walking around in the heels.

At first you stumbled a few times but after walking around for a few minutes you got the hang out it. Just as you were headed back into your room, Papyrus stepped out of his.

You had never seen Papyrus looking so professional, and you had to admit he looked really great. He was wearing a full-fledged suit, but it was tailored perfectly to fit him and the colors were dark and subtle. Everything he wore had a soft tint of blue.

Seeing you, Papyrus blushed and then gestured to himself.

“WELL HUMAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK?” You nodded, genuinely impressed,

“I think you look spectacular, Papyrus. Why did you change though? Kevin’s not going to care what you wear.” Papyrus stepped lankily over to the couch, careful not to wrinkle his shirt.

“I KNOW HUMAN…..IT’S JUST THAT I FEEL BAD FOR KEVIN. HE LOST HIS BROTHER. I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD DO IF I LOST SANS.” You felt your heart twist at his gentle words. Sitting next to Papyrus on the couch you tried to put a friendly arm over him, but realized he was far too tall. You retreated awkwardly but he didn’t seem to notice.

“KEVIN HAS BEEN TALKING AND MESSAGING ME MORE OFTEN, I THINK HE’S JUST LONELY. HE’S SO IMPRESSONABLE – I FEEL HE NEEDS SOMEBODY TO BE HIS FRIEND.” Papyrus stiffed his back, posing heroically. “THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE THE BEST FRIEND HE COULD EVER WANT…..IF HE WANTS ME TO BE THAT IS. I FIGURED A GOOD IMPRESSION COULDN’T HURT.” Giggling, you patted him on the back.

“You’re an incredible friend. That’s really sweet of you, Papyrus.” Papyrus smiled widely and stood up, walking over to the kitchen.

               “THANK YOU HUMAN!” 

You stood up to go back in your room when Papyrus suddenly noticed what you were wearing.    

 

               “WOWWIE, HUMAN! YOU LOOK MARVELOUS!” He scrunched up his face again, “WAIT BUT WHY ARE YOU DRESSED UP? WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPRESS?”

You felt your face blush harshly.

You were thankful for the sharp knocks that followed at the front door.

               Rushing over to open it, you welcomed Undyne and Alphys into the apartment. Alphys was wearing her polka dot dress and Undyne was dressed casually – so when both of them saw you two they exchanged a look.

               “We uh….we’re just going to a karaoke bar, right?” Undyne looked over at your outfit with worry. You shrugged, a little embarrassed.

               “We just figured we might as well dress up. Never know where the night will take you, right?” You laughed nervously and Undyne shrugged - agreeing with you. "Well you look sexy as hell kid." Alphys shuffled nervously,

               “Well we can head over there now if everybody is ready….wait where is Sans?” You were about to respond that you didn’t know when Papyrus interrupted you,

               “HE CALLED ME EARLIER – HE’S GOING TO RESERVE THE TABLE AND MEET US THERE.” Upon hearing this you felt your heart flutter. “OH BUT HUMAN – WHERE ARE WE MEETING KEVIN?”

Brought back to reality, you shook your head confused for a moment. 

               “Oh sorry, he’s meeting us at the restaurant too. We can leave now if everybody’s ready.” Everybody grabbed their things and after making sure the door was locked, you all headed out down the elevator.

 

               Walking up to the bar you were glad you dressed up. It was actually a lot larger and fancier than you had imagined.

As soon as you stepped through the door you held your breath.  It was as large as a ballroom –the ceiling and the walls were covered in a thick velvet texture with pieces of mirrors spread across them, giving one the illusion of the universe shattered above them. The stage was a raised platform with a plasma television hung up on one wall with lyrics rising to the top of the screen. There were booths to sit and eat at, a lounge area for the people watching the karaoke and bar seating of course. There was also a dance floor on the other side of the lounge, abandoned for now with nobody at the DJ booth.  

The four of you piled into the place and everyone looked around, amazed. There was a surprising amount of humans here as well, and you immediately felt a little shyer. Holding your broken arm you shuffled behind the group, feeling a little claustrophobic. Where was Sans?

You felt a tap on your shoulder and spun around, your heart fluttering.

Kevin was standing there in jeans and an blue collared shirt, looking a little embarrassed.

“Hey Frisk.” Kevin looked you over, smiling weakly. “You look great! I guess I didn’t think this place was going to be so nice….” Before Kevin could finish his sentence, Papyrus leapt up from behind you –

“KEVIN! YOU MADE IT!” Papyrus tried to subtly pose next to you, showing off his new clothes. Kevin smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair, keeping his head tilted to the ground to hide his scars.

“Oh, hey Papyrus.” He gestured Papyrus with one hand, sticking the other one in his pocket. “You look great, man. I wish I would’ve thought to dress up.” Papyrus shook his head, walking around you to grip Kevin by the shoulders.

“NONSENSE! YOU WERE BEING HONEST IN YOUR SENSE OF STYLE. HONESTY IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN DEVELOPING FRIENDSHIPS.” Kevin laughed, a sound you weren’t sure you had heard before. He did seem a lot more relaxed when he had Papyrus’ silliness to distract him.

“So how is that puzzle website going, Papyrus? Last I heard you had 200 views? That’s awesome!”

               “HM YES! I’M GLAD YOU REMEMBERED. NOBODY HAS PLAYED IT YET, BUT THAT’S TO BE EXPECTED. IT’S A FAIRLY INTIMIDATING PUZZLE. IN FACT ONE USER COMMENTED ON IT AND SAID IT WASN’T EVEN WORTH PLAYING. HOW FLATTERING!!!” Kevin laughed again, and Papyrus joined him – although you felt confident that he didn’t know why.

               You slipped away from their conversation to join Alphys and Undyne who were ordering at the bar. Undyne was leaning back against the bar, her elbows up on the counter. Alphys was sitting on one of the stools – slouched over, cupping her glass of water protectively. Walking over to them, Undyne’s eyes lit up.

               “Hey champ! Where’s that ole bag of bones at?” Truthfully, it was the only thing that had been on your mind since you left the apartment – but you tried to play it off like you hadn’t given it that much thought.

               “Oh….huh. I don’t know honestly. I’m sure he’ll show up at some point.” You honestly felt a little hurt at this point. A little worried at well. Undyne saw your discomfort and threw an arm around you.

               “It’s okay, bud. Sans is probably just messing with you. You know how dramatic they both are.” She gestured to Papyrus who was in the act of explaining a story seemingly through charades to Kevin. You and Undyne shared a laugh. Alphys cleared her throat a little uneasily.

               “So who exactly is that human? And you never told us how you broke your arm, Frisk.” You immediately felt the weight of the truth weigh heavy on your mind and you sighed.

               Taking a deep breath you retold about your first arriving in Aboveground the following things that had happened. You left out a few details about you and Sans, but nothing that hurt the truth. At multiple points Alphys gasped, covering her mouth horrified – whilst at others Undyne’s eyes flashed and she angrily pounded the bar with her first. When you were finished you felt a little uneasy. Retelling such a complex experience didn’t seem to do it justice.

“Wow.” Undyne hopped up on a bar stool, running her fingers over her chin contemplatively. Alphys stayed silent. From your face they could both tell you were miserable just thinking about it. Although they had a lot of follow up questions they decided it could wait for another time. There were a few moments before Undyne spoke again, a smirk growing on her face.  

 “And through all that…..you and Sans didn’t fuck – not even once?” Alphys giggled and Undyne looked back to her, exchanging a knowing look. They had clearly discussed this before. You felt your face burn as you tried to laugh it off.

Undyne looked to you as if expecting a response.

“W-what?” You asked, picking up Undyne’s whiskey on accident and spitting it out – the taste was so unexpected and alarming. Laughing loudly, Undyne slapped her knee a few times before wiping a tear of mirth from her eye.

“Come on! It’s okay, trust me. Just tell us – we’re your friends. Indulge us.” You brushed your hair behind your ear, still coughing a little bit from the whiskey, feeling very flushed.

“I….no – me and Sans aren’t-”

At that very moment, lifting your eyes to look at Undyne you saw past her - 

Sans walked into the bar.

You could swear the world around you slowed down.

Undyne was saying something but her words faded away to the back of your mind. He stepped through the door with such a sense of purpose and power, and he was dressed like you had never seen. Almost as if he had known what your color choice would be, he was sporting a silk red button up under a pitch black suit jacket. His pants were formal and were tailored perfectly to stop above his jet black dress shoes.

He paused as soon as he entered the building, casually looking around at the scene. He had a cigarette between his teeth and he took a final drag before bringing a hand up to take it away and toss it in an ash tray by the entrance. He continued walking forward into the room as he exhaled – smoke swirling around his figure, announcing his entrance.

Yet it wasn’t his attire or the smoke that made your heart pump faster, it was his expression. He had always had such an easygoing, goofy look on his face before – but now he seemed so demanding and powerful. His eyes passed over everything in the room as if he was deciding it’s very worth and you felt so eager and nervous to feel those eyes pass over yourself.

Wringing your hands you felt uneasy whether you wanted him to see you or not.

You knew it was the same Sans you had seen just a few hours earlier but something about him was smoother and different and it just set your nerves on fire.

You could register that Undyne was still saying something but you didn’t hear her, the music, or even the clatter of the crowd of people around you.

Stepping forward you found yourself drawn to him.

You needed his attention.

Your heart fluttered and pumped heavily in your chest.

As you stepped forward you felt confirmation that the world around you truly was slowed. His eye was slightly glowing and the room was a buzz with magic. His hands shoved halfway in his dress pant pockets –

His eyes sharply flickered to you.

You felt your heart skip a beat.

Frozen to the spot you weren’t sure what to do. A cocky smile grew across Sans’ face as he sauntered over to you, draping an arm around your waist and kissed you deeply. He pulled away from you and you found it difficult to look into his eyes – so demanding they were.

Speechless, you blushed heavily.

Sans chuckled softly, then whispered in a low voice.

“I warned ya.”

He walked past you and with a slight rise of his hands everything was at normal pace. The sudden explosion of people talking and music blasting hit you hard after such an intense moment. You turned around to see Sans listening to Undyne say something – but his eyes were locked on you. Flashing you a smile and a wink, he turned back to Undyne casually and responded.

Heart still pumping, you felt the impulse to laugh.

There was so much you underestimated about him. Finally feeling able to breathe, you laughed a little and started to head back to the group when you realized you were holding a piece of paper.

Sans must’ve slipped it to you while you were….uh….distracted.

On one side it read:

“GET DUNKED, HON!” Giggling, you rolled your eyes and glanced over at him. He raised a glass to you and winked again. Smiling to yourself, you flipped the paper to the other side to find another message.

“Meet me outside at 10.”


	27. The View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: I know somebody had a complex about smoking - just warning you there is a part where Sans and somebody else smokes.

Sans walked down the darkened streets of Aboveground, shuffling uncomfortably in his new clothes. The silk felt pleasant and smooth against his bones – but the damn jacket was heavy and laid in an uncomfortable way. Finally adjusting himself in a way that he could deal with, he took a deep breath as he turned down the street the bar was on. Just as he rounded the corner, he saw the whole group standing outside – slowly filtering through the door to the bar.

He was about to call out for them to wait up when his eyes were sharply drawn to Frisk and the words choked in his throat.

Illuminated by the low street lights, her blood red dress shimmered and her hair swung beautifully, the curls catching the light as they danced around her shoulders. She was laughing lightly at something Papyrus had said, and Sans couldn’t help but smile with her – as far away from her as he was.

Papyrus lifted his head in Sans’ direction and in a blind panic Sans darted back behind the street corner.

She was so beautiful.

Pressed up against the brick wall, he felt his chest pump heavily as a bead of sweat rolled across his forehead.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

Peering out from behind the corner, he saw they had completely entered and he emerged onto the street once again. Stepping shakily towards the bar, he felt the heat inside his jacket increase with every step. Once he reached the door, he hesitated – his hand gripped the door handle but felt unable to pull it back.

Glancing up in the reflection of himself in the door he felt his hopes fade away.  
               She was too beautiful.

She could never be satisfied with him.

Letting his hand drop to his side, Sans took a few steps away – feeling the stress weigh heavily on his shoulders. He glanced through the windows and tried to catch another glimpse of her, his insides – or lack therof – churning with nervousness.

Pacing back and forth outside of the bar he tried to talk himself into it.

_You know she loves you._

_She loves you._

_She’s told you a hundred times that she loves you._

But he couldn’t convince himself.

Sitting down on the curb, he hung his head in his hands and took a deep breath. Everyone was waiting for him. He had to go inside eventually. Frisk was waiting for him.

He took a piece of paper from his pocket he had written on earlier to give to Frisk, assuming he’d be able to pull off a confident display of his fashion. He chuckled. He was so prone to being cocky long before it came time to do something.

“You okay, bud?”

Sans lifted his head to see Burgerpants leaning against the wall, taking a drag of a cigarette and coughing a little – trying way too hard to seem casual. Sans turned to him, appreciating the distraction from his thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Can’t complain.” Burgerpants nodded and took another drag before he broke into a harsh coughing fit and doubling over, his face turning red. Sans hopped up and patted his back.

“Y’know, maybe smoking isn’t for you.” Burgerpants shook his head, trying to make a joke but instead sputtered his words and kept coughing. Sans stood there with him until he leveled out.

His face still red from the effort, Burgerpants looked distastefully at the cigarette for a moment before slowly bringing it back to his lips shakily.

Sans broke out into laughter, interrupting the drag.

“Stop, man!”

Burgerpants squinted angrily at the cigarette for a moment, his eyes bulging and his hands shaking.

“But…..It’s the only thing that’ll make me look cool.”

Sans shrugged and walked to the other side of Burgerpants, glancing inside the bar hoping to see Frisk. He didn’t. Turning back to the pseudo-smoker, Sans laid a hand on his shoulder.

“It doesn’t. You should stop.” Burgerpants stared miserably at the cigarette before sighing and dropping it to the ground, crushing the embers. Sans held out his hand.

“But uh….would you mind if I..?” Burgerpants sighed and passed him the pack and a lighter. Sans broke it open and pulled one out.

 Returning to his position sitting at the curb, Sans let his thoughts drift to where they were as he took a drag.

He had to go inside.

Frisk was waiting for him.

Letting positive thoughts fill him up, he let his stress wane with every exhale.

“So what are you doing out here anyway?” Sans turned and asked Burgerpants, who was attempting to figure out how he could lean against the wall without smoking and still look cool.

Burgerpants slipped a little on the wall but caught himself, scratching the back of his head – a little embarrassed.

“I uh….there are some girls in there I know. I was just thinking I’d wait for them to come out and then be standing here and they’d say ‘hey’ and then I’d say ‘sup’ and then maybe they’d invite me to hang out with them.” Wringing his hands, Burgerpants glanced inside the bar nervously. Sans shook his head as he handed the pack and lighter back to the troubled monster.  

“No, listen. That’s creepy. Just go inside and talk to them. I guarantee you’ll feel better than just standing out here all night.” Burgerpants nodded for a moment, before squinting at Sans.

“What are you doing out here?”

“I uh….” Sans chuckled, staring out into the empty street. “I’m just waiting.”

“Waiting for what?” Sans shrugged, feeling his inner concerns slip.

“.....for something bad to happen.”

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence while Burgerpants dropped the pack a few times before fitting it successfully into his pocket. Sans continued to stare off into the street, taking another drag and letting his anxieties drift away as he exhaled.

He was ready.

Standing up he thanked Burgerpants for the cigarette and mentioned he should come inside and talk to those girls when he’s ready. Hesitating outside the door, Sans took a deep breath and one final drag before he opened it.

As soon as the door opened a whirl of sound bombarded him, and instead of feeling overwhelmed he allowed the sensation to fill him up. He was tired of feeling insecure and uneasy. For Frisk, he would try his hardest to be what she wanted him to be.

Looking around the room, he couldn’t figure out where she was and with a growing idea in his mind, he wanted to make sure he saw her first. With a glint in his eyes, he gestured subtly with his hand to slow time just a little. Exhaling the last of his smoke, he tossed it in an ash tray and made his way through the room, observing the set up and moving out of the way of a group of giggling bridesmaids. Slowing time further, he saw a flash of red out the corner of his eye.

Darting his eyes toward the flash, he saw her. She was already staring at him. 

His heart pumping faster, he forced himself to remain calm – although inside he was ecstatic.

She was looking at him like he was something special, and he felt his insecurities melt away.

She had been waiting for him.

She had been scared he wasn’t going to come.

His heart full and his head buzzing from happiness, he felt impulsive.

Walking over to her, his chest pounding, he wrapped an arm smoothly around her waist and dipped her into a kiss – achingly wishing it could last longer but acknowledging other people were around them. Her lips were soft and her skin smelt like vanilla.

While she was distracted he slipped his hand around hers and left the note folded up in her soft, small hands.

Pulling away from her, he felt the urge to kiss her again as her face turned a dark red and her eyes shyly drifted to the floor.

Instead he leaned in and whispered,

“I warned ya.”

Walking away from her, he felt his chest slam heavily – regardless of what it had seemed, he was a nervous wreck. Taking a deep breath, he realized he was still slowing time – if not increasing the effect accidentally while he was kissing her. Hoping eagerly that she hadn’t noticed, he pulled his hand back and time jumped into normal speed.

Making his way to the bar, his face burning and his heart thumping – Undyne slapped him on the back heavily and he stumbled a little bit. He hoped Frisk didn’t see that.

“Well, well, well. You finally fucking did it.” Undyne lifted a whiskey glass in a cheers fashion while Alphys held her hands over her mouth in excitement.

“Oh my goodness. How long has this been going on?”

Sans laughed it off, turning to lean against the bar.

“It’s uh….it’s not like that.” He spoke softly as his eyes drifted to Frisk again, standing there shell shocked with a soft expression on her face. Her eyes flickered to him and felt his heart jump a little. He gave her a wink almost out of habit.

God damn she looked beautiful in that dress.

Slowly she noticed the note and opened it, her eyes darting to him again – her expression light and happy. He winked again and raised Undyne’s drink in a cheers motion.

He couldn’t wait to kiss her again.

Undyne snatched it back, laughing and whispering something to Alphys.

As Frisk moved through the crowd towards them, she kept her eyes down as though she knew he was watching. His eyes drifted along her frame as he noticed how much those heels popped out her calf muscles, and how smoothly the dress clung to her curves. He felt himself start to sweat as his eyes were drawn back up her legs, aching to feel her soft skin.

“….uh….hello? Sans?” Undyne was waving a hand in front of his face and he snapped back to reality.

“Oh, sorry! I got distracted.” Sans replied with a shrug as his eyes flickered back to Frisk who was almost there. Undyne made a face and glanced at Alphys.

“Yeah, we could tell.” Alphys giggled and held onto Undyne’s arm softly.

Frisk joined the group shyly, making eye contact with everyone briefly, though her eyes darted down when Sans returned the glance. His heart light and aching to be with her, Sans was about to ask Frisk if she’d like something to drink when he felt the unpleasant sensation of being lifted up.

Eyes shrinking in panic, Sans spun around to find himself being hugged/lifted up by Papyrus.

His panic faded away into laughter.

Papyrus set him back down with an expression of amazement.

“WOWIE WOW, SANS! I TAKE EVERYTHING BACK! YOU HAVE AN IMPECCABLE SENSE OF STYLE!” Sans shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. “DO YOU LIKE WHAT I CHOSE?” Papyrus struck a heroic pose and Kevin emerged behind him, laughing quietly. Sans nodded, sticking his hands in his pants pockets – glad to see his brother but eagerly wanting some time alone with Frisk.

“Hey Sans – thanks for inviting me! I’m having a great time.” Kevin glanced up at Papyrus but Papyrus was still posing, waiting for Sans’ response. Sans chuckled,

“You look great, bro.”

“THANK YOU!” Papyrus happily looked around at the group, “WELL, SINCE EVERYONE’S HERE NOW, WE SHOULD GET OUR TABLE. WHERE ARE WE RESERVED, SANS?” All eyes shot to Sans and he felt a bead of sweat drip down his spine. Sans shrugged, laughing a little –

“I uh….I knew there was something I forgot to do.” Undyne groaned and turned to the bartender who told them there were no reservations. Undyne’s eyes flashed passionately.

“So we can take whatever table we want?” The bartender looked a little concerned and went to elaborate but Undyne had already turned away from her – observing her prey.

Moving stealthily through the crowd, Undyne made her way over to where the booths were – waiting patiently as a table finally cleared. Another group was waiting over in the lounge and got up to occupy the table. Almost leaping over them, Undyne slammed her fist down on the table and shouted back to the group at the bar. The other group sighed angrily and returned to their seats.

“GOT ONE!” Frisk giggled and Sans felt his heart flutter at the sound.

Papyrus sprinted over to join her, Kevin slowly tailing him, followed by Alphys who apologized to everyone she stepped past in the crowd.

Sans was considering asking Frisk if she just wanted to stay at the bar, his mind enraptured by the thought of just the two of them – when she gently grabbed his hand and started walking, shining him a soft smile.

“C’mon, let’s go.”

Sans felt her words melt over him as he followed her through the crowd, unsure of why holding her hand now made him feel more nervous than having sex ever had.

               As they made it to the table, Undyne had just finished telling Papyrus something – who blurted it out immediately, his eyes wide and his expression ecstatic remembering the night so long ago when he first saw Frisk and Sans kiss outside the entrance to the Underground.

               “SANS?? THE DATE WAS SUCCESSFUL?? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?!”

               Papyrus tackled Sans with another hug and Sans felt his cheeks grow hot. Frisk was standing next to them, giggling sweetly. Sans felt his mind grow hazy as she smiled up at him – looking all the world like a goddess.

               “I dunno, bro. Guess it just slipped my mind.”


	28. I Haven't Forgotten the Title, Guys. Muffins are Totally Still Relevant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's from Sans' perspective for a reason, but it will return to second person POV next chapter.   
> S'all good.

After everyone took their spots at the table and ordered their food, Papyrus leapt animatedly into a debate with Undyne about the proper outfit to wear in battle while Alphys and Kevin chatted amiably about human history. 

               “I uh….haven’t heard of any princesses wielding gigantic swords…” Kevin looked at Frisk as a reference but she shrugged. She had literally been under a rock most of her life. Alphys looked disappointed, so Kevin hurriedly added, “…but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There’s a lot of things I don’t really know about.” Alphys face lightened up and she immediately pulled out her phone – no doubt to research.

               “…BUT YOU WANT THE ARMOR TO BE LIGHT AND VERSATILE SO YOU ARE STILL FREE TO BE QUICK AND AGILE-”

               “Okay but if you’re a good enough warrior you can train yourself to get used to the weight of the metal regardless, then you’ll be quick and also protected-“

“WELL PERHAPS I’M A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I FOUGHT YOU, YOU WERE WEARING ARMOR AND WHEN I RAN AWAY YOU WERE FAR TOO SLOW TO CATCH ME-”

“That doesn’t mean you won, Papyrus! That just means you were wimpy enough to run away-”

“THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SOMEBODY WHO LOST A BATTLE WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD SAY!” Alphys turned a little red and tried to intervene between the two of them.

“Oh….oh okay you guys….let’s just calm down.” Undyne pulled Alphys tight into a hug which was partially a headlock and continued her argument.

“Armor was created for a reason, Papyrus.” Sans interjected, taking a fry off his plate and chewing it thoughtfully.

“Yeah Paps – armor can _save your skin_. Although I must say it takes _real guts_ to go without it.”

“SANS! STAY OUT OF THIS!”

Chuckling, Sans pulled the fry basket closer and offered some to Frisk. At the turn of her head, her hair cascaded beautifully over her shoulders – her eyes sparkling with a soft, sweet expression. Taking a few, she smiled at him and Sans felt the argument between Papyrus and Undyne fade into the back of his mind. She leaned forward, speaking softly – despite that the others were too distracted with the debate to pay attention.

“So….. slowing down time, huh?” She smiled teasingly at him, picking up a fry and scanning his expression. Sans felt a little warm. Dammit – she had noticed.

“Oh. It was nothing, I just did it on accident.” He shrugged and reached for his drink, a drink popular in the Underground that was a large part vodka and a few sweeter elements mixed it. He could already feel his mind buzzing from the alcohol. Frisk cocked her head knowingly.

“Mhm. Are you sure you didn’t do it just to dramatize your grand entrance?” Sans finished his drink and chuckled – realizing that would’ve been an amazing idea had he thought of it.

“You caught me.” Sans raised his hands playfully and enjoyed the expression on Frisks face as she giggled. Since they had sat down, both Frisk and Sans had felt most of the tension wear away. Being amongst friends reminded them they had a history, and as such they felt a little more comfortable.

But that didn’t stop Sans from sweating a little when he noticed Frisk’s dress was riding up a little from when she sat down – realizing he could see the majority of her soft, smooth thighs.

Frisk took a sip of her drink, which was a lot like Sans’ but a little less strong. She was feeling it heavier than he was at the moment however – having a much lower tolerance.

“I mean you did warn me.” Frisk shrugged and took another sip of the drink, her eyes shyly looking into his. Sans heard the inclination in her voice and was starting to worry if she was getting drunk. Sans chuckled and resisted the urge to look at her raised dress again, feeling a little guilty – especially if she was a little tipsy.

“Speaking of which, I just want to apologize for earlier when I said you couldn’t dress up.” Frisk blushed a little as she spoke, looking him over. “You….wow. You nearly gave me a heart attack walking through that door.”

Sans felt his chest flutter at her words. He tried to stay casual about it.

“Oh, uh really? Why is that?” The waitress came by and dropped off two more drinks. Frisk eagerly finished her current and started on the new one. Sans felt a little uneasy watching her.

“You just….” Frisk smiled softly and closed her eyes, picturing the scene again. Sans couldn’t help but chuckle at how goofy she was. “You just…..” Sans reached out gently and held her hand.

“I just…….what?” He smiled and watched happily as she giggled. She never finished her thought, because the music kicked in as the DJ announced the dance floor was open and the mic was set up for whoever wanted to start the karaoke. Undyne and Papyrus leapt up from the table and headed for the dance floor as Alphys and Kevin shrugged, following them. Kevin paused as he stood up, turning to the both of you.

“Are you guys coming?” Before Sans could say anything, Frisk spoke up.

“We’re right behind you, we have some very important things to discuss first.” Kevin shrugged and turned back around, searching for Papyrus. Sans felt the sweat start to form as Kevin disappeared into the crowd, finding himself now alone with Frisk.

“Important business?” Sans drank from his glass, setting it down heavily. Frisk turned to face him, setting her casted arm on the table – her eyes sparkling as she bit her lip softly.

“I….I really appreciate everything you do for me, Sans.” She gently massaged his fingers in her hand, the soft skin smoothly rubbing against his bones. “I’m lucky to have you. When you were fighting Chara and you….” She took a deep breath, shaking a little. “I feel bad because I know I would’ve reset. If you died….I don’t think I just keep going.” Sans gripped her hand tighter, his pulse quickening.

“I know, Frisk.” She locked eyes with him and smiled, swaying a little unbalanced from the alcohol hitting her system. He looked at her for a moment, her eyes drifting over her frame.

She had taken off her jacket and her exposed shoulders already had a few freckles on them from their brief time in the sun. Smiling to himself, he considered how oddly cute they were.

Her hair was wild and curly – he had never seen it like that before, and he liked it.

Her lips were red, plump, and achingly enticing.  

Even glancing over at her hand he noticed the careful attention she had put into painting her nails a stark red.

She was beautiful – but she would’ve been beautiful without all those things.

She’s beautiful regardless.

“Frisk.” Sans spoke again, finding his words stuck in his throat. Frisk leaned a little bit more, placing her other hand on his boney thigh – immediately tensing him up. Her eyes were wide and innocent and he found himself nearly melting under her gaze. “Frisk, listen.” He took a deep breath. “I’m very ….I couldn’t protect you. You deserve so much more than this.” He looked at his hand in hers, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “I think maybe….maybe that-”

               “Stop it.” Frisk spoke suddenly, and with a fierce coldness Sans wasn’t sure he’d ever heard. The words he was going to speak evaporated and were lost forever. “Please, just stop talking about yourself like this, Sans. I don’t care if Danny was made of gold – he isn’t you. And. I. Love. You. Please stop fighting this so much, okay?” Sans didn’t say anything, but blushed and cleared his throat – his eyes glancing once at her hand on his thigh. Frisk thought for a moment, despite the blurriness in her mind she pieced something together.

               Pulling out the piece of paper, she gestured to the back.

               “What are you planning at 10?” Sans avoided her eyes and looked away.

               “It’s….something I have to do. I need to show you something.”

               “What?”

               “It’s about Danny….he…left behind some things that I think you deserve to look at.” Frisk snorted, crossing her arms.

               “And do what with? Sans. He’s from a separate timeline. I have no idea if anything from his timeline even is possible in ours. And quite frankly…..” Frisk lowered her eyes, the alcohol causing her to sway a little again before she corrected herself. “Quite frankly I don’t want to know. Why should I? I’m happy right now, in this moment with you and our friends. I’m happy here.” Sans felt a smile crawl across his face although he knew better.

               “But you at least deserve to read them, Danny-”

               “Danny is dead. I’m sorry, but he caused nothing but trouble in our timeline. He put you in danger. He put Papyrus in danger. Chara was able to feast off of his soul, and for that I’m incredibly sorry. He was misguided and confused and in love – but I don’t owe him anything. I won’t risk hurting you again.” The strength in her words and the defiance in her eyes stirred something inside Sans and he found his happiness spilling over.

               He leaned in slowly, taking both of her hands gently in his own.

               “Okay. I won’t bring it up again.”

               She locked eyes with him for a moment.

               He leaned in, his eyes flickering to her lips.

She leaned in a little closer before whispering,

               “It’s not going to be that easy. You have magic on your side, mister. My body is the only weapon I have.” And with a wink she stood up, a little shakily and waited for him beside the table.

               God dammit she was so fucking beautiful.

               Smiling, he suppressed his strong urge to kiss her as he stood up and joined her. She grabbed her drink in one hand  she lead him back to the dance floor, where the music was beating loudly and a massive crowd of people were shoved together. Nobody was currently singing karaoke so the track was smooth, and the crowd seemed relatively drunk. Frisk started dancing, and Sans instantly fell in love with her all the more.

               She was a terrible dancer.

               Not cringe-worthy, but certainly not fluid in any way.  Chuckling to himself, Sans decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume it was the alcohol.

               Although he knew it probably wasn’t.

               She bobbed offbeat and tried to sing the lyrics although she clearly didn’t know them. Sans stood with his arms crossed and a wide smile on his face as she twirled around, locking eyes with him – clearly believing she was being seductive.

In a way she was.

Her confidence was intoxicating, although probably not as much as her drink.

The more she moved however, the better she got and although she was still quite bad – her body in that dress more than made up for it. Watching her spin, Sans felt the urge rise up within him again and he quelled it with the knowledge that she was having fun. It filled him with just as much joy to watch her be happy.

She paused for a moment to chug her drink and seeing her stumble backwards made his smile fade. Sans slipped his arm around her back for support and gently took the glass away. Frisk frowned and pouted, crossing her arms.

“Booooooooooooooo. I was just thirsty.” Sans chuckled, although he was a little concerned. Her eyes were glassy and he wasn’t sure how much was safe for humans to drink. Underground alcohol was much stronger than Aboveground from what he had heard.

“Okay, well then let’s get you some water okay?” He smiled reassuringly and Frisk’s expression shifted – staring up at him adoringly.

“Okay.” She slipped her hand into his and followed him as they wove through the crowd to the bar. Sans helped Frisk up on the bar stool and told her to lean forward. Seeing the bartender was down at the crowded end he hesitantly told Frisk to stay put as he disappeared and reappeared at the other end. After a few minutes, he returned to find a rough looking human leaning against the bar talking to Frisk.

The man was rugged, with wispy brown hair and stubble – he had clearly been drinking but appeared conscious enough to realize Frisk was wasted at this point. She was slumped, leaning over on the bar talking to him, her eyes glassy as she swayed pointlessly back and forth. A drink arrived for the man, a dark liquor from what it seemed and he pushed it to Frisk.

She shook her head with a smile and explained her boyfriend – Sans felt his bones rattle as the words passed her lips – was going to be back any minute with her water. The man pushed the glass toward her and insisted, placing a hand on her thigh.

Rage flared up in Sans body and he slammed the glass of water to the ground, the shards of glass shattering – shocking people and monsters nearby. The man spun around, looking annoyed at being interrupted.

His magic already swirling around him – Sans lifted his hand and encased the man in a dark blue light, slamming him to the ground.

Stepping heavily over the human pinned to the ground, Sans kneeled next to him – increasing the pressure so that every breath became harder until the man was struggling to breathe. The human flailed and looked pleadingly to Sans but his eyes were cold and empty. When he spoke his voice was sharp and piercing.

“Do not EVER fucking touch her again.” Her man nodded his head quickly, his skin turning a slight shade of purple, his eyes bulging. Sans paused for a moment, letting the tension build until he stood up sharply, raising his hand and lifting his hold off of the man.

Breathing erratically on the floor the man shuddered until he caught his breath and shakily stood up. His eyes wild the human stumbled, looking back and forth between Frisk and Sans before he stepped back and headed for the door, almost at a run.

Letting his anger wane, Sans suddenly noticed the music had stopped and everybody was looking at him. Frisk was perched nervously on her chair, her wide eyes trained on him with her hand over her heart. She was visibly breathing hard as she looked at Sans with awe.

“WOOOOHOOOOOOO You get ‘em, Sans!” Undyne shoved through the crowd, her fist raised high in the air. Slapping him on the back, Sans stumbled forward a little – blushing a little as he righted himself.

“SANS!” Papyrus stepped through the crowd, leaping to his brother’s side. “WHAT HAPPENED?” Sans just shrugged, smiling up at his brother who was looking with such concern.

“Just a guy looking to have a bad time. He was getting a little too friendly with Frisk.”

Frisk, still staring at Sans with deep admiration – lowered herself from the bar stool and shakenly spoke.

 “I guess you could say he was getting a little too……Frisky.”

Half of the people in the bar groaned, including Papyrus.

Sans couldn’t help himself.

As a wide smile stole over his expression, he stepped quickly over to her – kissing her passionately.

His hands drifted protectively over her back, feeling the curve of her hips pressed tight against the smooth, silk dress. They kissed for a few moments before Undyne coughed loudly behind them.

Startled, they parted – Frisk blushed fiercely as soon as the contact ceased, raising a hand softly to her lips.

Most of the crowd had parted back to the dance floor and the music started up again. Papyrus was stubborn to stay behind with them, but Undyne was trying to drag him away – winking to Sans and whispering to Papyrus about how they needed their private time.

Alone again, Sans turned back to Frisk who was looking innocently at him with wide eyes. She spoke gently, her voice eager and nervous.

“So….um….it’s not 10 o’clock yet but….” Sans picked up her intentions immediately.

“Yes! So-”

“That is, if you want to-” Sans ran a hand along her back, running along her curves.

“Oh yeah…..trust me, I want to-”

“But….oh what about everyone else-”

“They’ll be fine, It’ll be fine.” Sans spoke eagerly, his speech jittery and body aching. Frisk bit her lip and looked up at him with a smile.

“Okay, let’s go-”

               In a flash, they were gone.


	29. Left Behind

Danny awoke to find himself laying on a bed of golden flowers.

               A killer headache spliced through his mind as he laid there, gritting his teeth through the worst of it. After a few moments it passed and faded away, leaving him able to interpret his surroundings.

               A shudder of fear struck through him as he recalled his last moments – Frisk’s gentle figure shaking over him as she pressed the knife into his chest, the sharp pain that drifted off into nothingness.

               Touching all over his body in shock, he found he was completely solid.

               Sitting up, he observed the strange place he was in. The room was pitch black but the patch of flowers he had woken up on was lit as if in a spotlight. Scattered throughout the room were little glowing bits of light, each one a different color – floating gently in midair. Pushing himself up, he felt a little panicked.

Shouldn’t he be dead?

He took another look around the room.

Was he?

               He was hesitant to step off the bed of flowers, for the space around him seemed to be endless and floorless. He leaned out gently and tapped his foot down to find a solid surface, although it seemed hollow as if he was stepping on a sheet of glass.

               A distant sound of bells rang through the room.

               Danny spun around, feeling his heart race.

               “Hello?” He staggered backwards, constantly spinning in fear that something would come up behind him. There was another twinkling of the bells and a figure in the far side of the room started to appear. Danny kept his eyes locked on it in horror as it appeared, a tall skeleton like figure with melted dimensions and two cracks in its skull…..the placement of which seemed familiar to him……

               Afraid but determined, Danny called out again.

               “Hello? Who are you? Where am I?” The skeleton gently spoke but the air was filled again with the musical expression instead of words. The figure drifted a little closer, pausing for a moment besides two of the floating orbs, one a dark blue and the other a bright orange. His eyes passed over each with a look of misery before continuing towards him.

               Pausing a decent distance away, so as not to make Danny uncomfortable, the figure spoke again in a twinkling manner. He brought a mangled hand up to his chest and spoke softly, repeating the same composition of music twice.

               Danny slowly sat down on the bed of flowers, not taking his eyes off the specter.

               “Are you trying to tell me your name?” The figure shrugged and gentle bells echoed around the room. Danny chuckled a little bit, able to understand the context.

               “I’m sorry. I don’t understand you. Can you understand me?” The specter nodded and Danny felt a flush of comfort that he wasn’t alone in this place.

               There were a few moments of silence as the pair stared back at each other.

               A ringing of bells lightened up again as the figure started to retreat and Danny felt the loneliness and fear surround him again.

               “Wait! Please don’t go.” The bells rang lightly, sounding almost like laughter as the specter continued walking away – only to gently grab a yellow orb and carefully walk back to the flower bed. Holding it out, the figure waited.

               Hesitant, but curious – Danny reached out to accept the orb in his hands. There was something warm and comforting about the small ball of light. He rolled it around softly in his hands and felt a pleasant calming sensation run through his body as the fear was pushed to the back of his mind.

               “What is this?”

Danny looked up to find the mangled skeleton had disappeared.

He was alone again.

Gazing down at the comforting yellow orb, Danny held onto it tighter.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Time passed – how long Danny wasn’t sure. There didn’t seem to be a single environmental change in the place he was trapped.

A few times he had tried to walk away from the flowers but the floor he would walk on seemed to be fragile and he had no confidence it would hold his weight. There didn’t seem to be any end to the room either. As far as the eye could see, colored lights sparkled and hung peacefully at different heights.

He had tried to fall asleep but found he was constantly wide awake.

The specter hadn’t come back either, though with each passing moment Danny wished he would.

The boredom and confusion would’ve driven him insane if it hadn’t been for the small orb he constantly cradled in his hands.

He wasn’t sure what it was for, but any moment he began to panic or fear drove still into his heart the orb would glow and the feeling would retreat.

After staring at it for hours, Danny picked it up and held it tight to his chest as if giving it a hug.

Suddenly there was a spark and the entire room flashed a sharp yellow.

A voice rang out from the nothingness, but it sounded odd as if Danny was hearing the voice from underwater.

“Oh uhm. I get off work at five….Normally I would go fishing down by the lake with Danny but now I….”

Danny felt his heart skip a beat.

He was hearing Kevin.

“I….I don’t have anything planned. Why?”

This heart slamming inside his chest he looked down at the orb pressed tight against him to see a blurry scene he couldn’t quite interpret. Lifting his closer to his eyes the orb glowed brighter and suddenly Danny had disappeared in a white flash.

A moment later Danny rubbed his eyes furiously to find he was in Grillbys, standing next to his brother. His mind racing and his heart slamming heavily, he spun around – noticing the colors were off a little. Everything had a strange yellow tint to them, the only figure that had full color was Kevin.

Kevin’s face was still disfigured and Danny immediately noticed he was correct. The figure had the same cracks in his skull that Kevin had scars.

But his brother’s face was different than he had ever seen for a different reason, the normal spark of joy and excitement he usually had was gone. In his place was a false smile, so fake and forced it pained Danny a little.

Noticing the scene a little clearer, Danny saw Frisk and Sans sitting down at the bar. His heart fluttering, Danny stepped softly over to Frisk.

He went to speak but found the words were lost in his chest. He tried to speak again but nothing came out. Standing in between Frisk and his brother, he slowly realized that nobody could see him.

Of course they couldn’t.

His heart falling a little he stepped back and tried to listen, despite his disappointment.

Frisk spoke and her voice lit through Danny like a fire, his passion and misery swirling together as he was reminded of his nonexistence.

“Would you like to come out with us tonight? We’re going to a karaoke bar at six.” She glanced over at Sans, who flushed a shade of blue. Danny clenched his fists tightly.

Kevin shuffled the dish bin under his other arm, the dishes clanking a little. He was clearly touched from the gesture, as his face lightened up for a moment.

“Oh…that’s really nice of you.” Kevin looked down at the floor, Danny was close enough to see that his eyes were a little glassy. He was so close to tears. Kevin blinked it away quickly and smiled up at Sans, “I’d love to come actually. Thank you for inviting me.” Frisk and Sans smiled back at him and Frisk looked down at her phone briefly, before linking eyes with Kevin again.

“I’ll text you where we’re meeting, okay?” Kevin seemed a little distracted, but he nodded before picking up the bus pan and heading into the back, passing Grillby holding a few bags of food. Danny felt his body being pulled with his brother. The world behind him started to shatter as the yellow light faded away. Danny hurriedly followed Kevin into the back where he slammed the dishes down heavily and took a few deep breaths. One of the cooks looked up with concern but Kevin smiled and shook his head.

“I’m fine, my hands just slipped a little bit.” The cook nodded and returned to their work as Kevin backed away slowly until he reached the backdoor, where he quickly pushed it open and stepped outside. Following him, Danny watched worriedly as his brother fell to his feet, sobbing.

Kevin’s form, bent over and shivering from tears – disturbed Danny more than he thought it would. Stepping quietly over to him, Danny bent down to watch his brother’s mutilated face turn a deep red as tears streamed down his face. Instinct took over as Danny wrapped an arm around his brother, his heart tugging inside at the sight of his misery.

Kevin suddenly stiffed and lifted his head.

He turned and looked directly at Danny, and for a moment Danny felt he could actually see him. But after a few moments Kevin turned the other way in the exact same manner, as if he could feel the arm around him but was unable to see anyone doing so.

The feeling fading, Kevin sat down slowly – the tears less frequent but his face still flushed and his eyes puffy from the tears. Pulling out something from his back pocket, Kevin unfolded a picture.

It was a picture of himself and Danny, when they had went fishing a few years ago.

Kevin’s eyes were shut but his face was lit up with a huge smile as Danny flashed a toothy grin at the camera, his dazzling blue eyes catching the light.

The picture seemed warped and bent.

It had only been a few days since he had died but Kevin had already worn the picture out.

A guilty feeling rose within Danny’s chest as he reminded himself that he never considered his brother’s feelings when he embarked on his quest for Frisk.

Sitting down next to Kevin, Danny thought it over.

Frisk seemed happy – almost unmoved at all by his death….his brother was miserable….and he was stuck in a hellish purgatory.

Sighing heavily, Danny felt the weight of his decisions hang over his head.

Kevin stood up after a moment, wiping his tears roughly with his shirt sleeve and taking a few deep breaths, shoving the picture back in his pocket. Composing himself, he walked back to the restaurant’s door and let himself in.

With his brother, the light and world around him started to fade as the door shut but Danny didn’t follow him.  As the yellow light shattered and turned to darkness – Danny opened his eyes to find himself back on the bed of flowers, the yellow light pulsing gently in his hands. Laying down softly, Danny felt a heartbeat through the orb.

His brother’s heartbeat.

A few tears slipped down his face and he held the orb tighter in his arms.


	30. A Cave Story

Eagerly opening your eyes, you expected to be back at the apartment – preferably in Sans’ room.

You weren’t.

A soft breeze rolled over you as you realized you were back on the mountain, the universe twinkling above you as the earth outstretched below you.

Turning to Sans, you felt the warmth of the alcohol buzz through your system, making the world around you seem so much brighter and deeper. Sans’ jacket was disheveled, he was blushing a little – his face scrunched up in confusion.

Laughing, you held onto his arm and looked out onto the horizon, the endless forest beneath you both swaying gently like an ocean – he chuckled a little bit, scratching the back of his skull.

“I uh….I can’t always control my magic perfectly when I drink. I’m sorry.” You giggled and kissed him on the cheek – looking back at the horizon, the world filling you with a spirit of adventure and happiness. He lifted his hands and his eyes began to glow, ready to transport the two of you. Feeling tuned into the world around you, you felt it was a precious moment and you gently placed your hand over his – feeling a little tingly from the magic.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind a little detour.” Sans let his embarrassment and his magic fade as he wrapped an arm around your waist, allowing you to lean into his chest.

“Okay.”

The two of you were silent for a few moments, but the world around you still pressed on – the wind howling at the peak, the birds chirping, the trees creaking and groaning from bending back and forth. Sans cleared his throat and then spoke hesitantly.

“Y’know…..looking at everything from up here…. It kinda makes me wonder where I’m from.”

You looked up at him a little confused. His eyes were fixated on the moon, low and full in the vast sparkling sky.

“What do you mean?” You asked curiously, hanging onto him and looking up to him like a child. He thought for a moment.

“If the war had been different – or even perhaps if it had never happened…..where do you think I would be?” You didn’t know how to answer this question of course. It wasn’t a question that really had an answer. From the look on his face he didn’t expect for you to have one.

His eyes were distant and his face was thoughtful. You put your arm around his waist as well, pulling him closer to you.

“If I had to guess?” You pretended to think carefully as he looked down at you, surprised that you had answered. “You’d probably be in some comedy club getting booed offstage.” Surprised, Sans burst out laughing, a genuine hearty laugh. You smiled.

“How dare you.” He chuckled the last of it away and crossed his arms. “Booed offstage huh?” You nodded mischievously, stepping back from the edge towards a small indent in the mountain, slipping a little on some rocks.

“Yep.”

He stepped towards you a little, his expression soft.

“Why is that?”

You shrugged.

 “Despite everything that might be different– you’d still be you.”

Something about your words spoke volumes to him and he thought for a moment, a soft smile on his face. His eyes locked with yours as he walked over to you, past you – into the indent of the mountain.

He turned back and winked at you.

Smiling, you followed him.

The indent was much deeper than you had first thought, but it didn’t lead anywhere. It was fairly difficult to manage in heels so you had taken them off – but the cool stone floor was a little chilling. Sans looked back and waited for you, and upon noticing you were shivering, slipped off his jacket and handed it to you.

“I’m already chilled to the bone.” He winked at you and you accepted the jacket, rolling your eyes. “See – that’s prime comedy. I wouldn’t get booed offstage for that.” You laughed loudly, slipping your hand into his.

“You’re right, you wouldn’t get booed offstage. You’d get kicked out with material like that.” Sans pretended to be offended, bringing a hand to his chest and pulling his other hand away from yours.

“Wow. WOW, Frisk. Well if that’s how you feel I’ll take my jacket back.” Pulling on his arm in apology you laughed, your voice echoing.

“I’m sorry! I was just kidding!”

Sans crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying his hardest not to smile as you tugged at his arms and whined.

“Please! You know I was just kidding!” Sans opened one eye, his smile twitching.

“I don’t know that.”

“Well I am!” You hugged him as hard as you could, laughing a little at how difficult he was being. Sans sighed dramatically, leaning against a wall.

“If only somebody loved me. If only I was loved.” You squeezed him tighter, giggling at his nonsense. At the tightness of your hug, his voice was a little strained.

“But no – here I am. Destined forever to be unloved. What a tragic fate. No wonder I’m such a terrible comedian, who could find humor with a life so wretched as mine?” Groaning, you pulled away and crossed your arms – still giggling but starting to genuinely feel guilty.

“I’m sorry, honestly. You know I think you’re funny.” You forced your hand into one of his. “But your puns are awful. You know that.” Sans gave up, chuckling. He shrugged, standing up from the wall and squeezing your hand back.

“Hm. I like to think it’s all a matter of taste.”

You laughed incredulously again and shook your head. There was no winning with him. The two of sat up against the wall of cavern, laughing and talking with one another – it was a rare moment when Sans genuinely seemed to open up to you. You both exchanged stories about a variety of things, his arm around you casually as you leaned into him.

Exhaling heavily, you smiled.

You felt so uninhibited from the alcohol still bubbling through your system. Laying your head on his shoulder, you looked over at him softly.

“What’s your favorite memory from when you were younger?” Sans smiled wide and leaned his head back against the cavern wall, closing his eyes.

“Huh. That’s a good one.” He thought for a moment before another smile stole over him. “Oh! Well, I learned how to read really early – Papyrus was always jealous… Before then, Papyrus had always been better than me at everything, not that I really cared. But Papyrus did. When we’d go outside to play sometimes I would bother him by reading out advertisements or signs and he’d start stomping around,” Sans chuckled, the memory lighting up his face. You felt your heart twinge.

“Anyways – we were walking around the toy store one day, looking for this action figure that Pap really wanted when I found the comic book section. There was this perfect one, about a striking hero fighting against the depths of evil – y’know typical comic book superhero stuff….I knew Pap would love it. With what little money I had I bought it and then hid it while Pap bought his action figure. Later that night he was playing with it in his room when I walked in and showed him the comic book. He completely forgot about his new action figure when he saw the cover – it was perfect.” Sans glanced over at you and you felt the second-hand joy from the expression in his face. You smiled to yourself and held onto his arm tighter as he talked.

“His favorite thing about it was that he could understand the story without having to read. He absolutely loved that comic and after looking over the pictures again and again he eventually asked me to read the story to him. This was the first time he’d ever asked me to read him anything – he’d always been too jealous before then. But that night I read him the entire thing front to back must’ve been like three or four times before I got too tired. I went to sleep but he kept going over it. He poured over it and when I woke up the comic was open on his lap – he must’ve passed out reading it.” Sans chuckled.

“When he finally woke up his eyes were sparkling like I’d never seen – he was so excited! He asked me to keep reading it to him and I did. I kept reading it to him every night for a few weeks until he started to recognize some of the words and piece the story together. Eventually he was able to read the comic himself and he did. We started going to the comic book store and he bought the entire series, piece by piece whenever we found money. A few months later he could read fluently by himself but he would still ask me to read to him.” Sans smiled to himself. “I know he only did that because he knew how much I liked doing it.  He knew how it made me feel. He was already so good at so many things…..he was a fast learner. Teaching him how to read – it made me like he actually needed me. And he knew that.” Sans gently kicked a rock and it went scattering off into the cavern. He looked away but you could tell he was blushing.  

You didn’t say anything, so touched by his affection for his brother.

“People always tell me I’m such a good brother to look after Papyrus but the truth is that he looks after me just as much.” When you looked up at him you noticed Sans was wiping a tear from his eyes, a wide smile on his face. You hugged him softly and he chuckled again, wiping another tear.

“Sorry. Geez that got super sappy. Maybe I drank a little too much.” He chuckled, clearing his throat a little.  “I just care for him a lot, y’know?” You nodded and kissed him softly on his cheek, wiping another tear away from his face yourself. He caught your hand and pressed it against his face softly, closing his eyes and letting another tear drip down his face.

“Frisk, you make me so happy. You know that right?” You smiled to yourself.

“I know, Sans. You make me happy, too.” Sans opened his eyes, looking so comforted and trusting. You felt your heart melt from his happiness.

A few moments passed as you both smiled at each other, the crisp breeze drifting through the cavern space, a few loose leaves swirling down the tunnel.

Sans’ expression slowly shifted from his soft goofy happiness to something more contemplative.

After a minute he spoke hesitantly.

“I think you should read the letters Danny left you.”

His abrupt words surprised you and you pulled back a little.

“What?”

Sans paused, his hand hovering for a moment from where you pulled away.

“I just think you deserve to know where you come from. Where you would’ve come from. Not as a replacement to what you’ve been through but as an addition. Like you said….despite everything….you’d still be you.”

You crossed your arms, your mind racing – swirling around the painful images of Danny dying, of you killing him. It all could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t been so indulgent to him-

Sans gently turned your face towards him.

“I know you still think about him. I can feel it. What you said in the bar was…..nice and comforting but it wasn’t true.” You were about to speak but Sans interrupted you, his face pained. “I know you love me. I know that now. It’s more than that though….Danny loved you, too. And as jealous as it makes me feel to consider it, in another timeline you loved him back. He sacrificed a lot to see you, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same.” He turned away for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back at you.

“Listen, just don’t dismiss them because of me.” You didn’t say anything for a moment, your mind was buzzing. It was hard to think, the alcohol and emotions were clouding your thoughts so badly.

Danny made you excited and it felt wrong.

It was true, you didn’t love Danny….but you could feel deep inside another lost part of you that had. You almost didn’t want to know what your life was like in the other timeline – not only because you were happy in this one, but pejoratively because you felt guilty.

You felt guilty that Danny did so much out of love for you only to die.

It was your fault, and you didn’t want to press the thought anymore.

Sans could tell you were upset and his expression showed his confliction.

“I’m sorry. I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up again.”

You didn’t say anything, your thoughts were still swirling around you.

He gently touched your arm and the gesture caused you to stop your thoughts and turn to him.

“You don’t have to decide tonight, or tomorrow, or even ever. I just want you to know I support you no matter what.”

Your heart couldn’t take it anymore and you abruptly hugged him, a few tears drifting down your face.

“I…..I just feel so guilty, Sans. Everything that happened to him was my fault. He….he died. You almost died….and it was my fault.” You buried your head in his chest and cried, he held you tight against him and didn’t say anything for a moment. After you sobbed for a moment he patted your back and you pulled away, confused.

Standing, he hesitated, looking down at you with concern.

“Come with me for a moment.” His voice was solemn and considering. You stood up and you held onto his hand as he took the both of you out of the cavern. After a few good minutes of walking you both were back onto the plateau overlooking the vast lands beneath the two of you. He put his arm around you and gestured to the sparkling universe.

“This land is full of depth and rich with things we can’t even possibly understand. It was our home, in our hearts and in our lungs. It’s beautiful and glorious and full of possibilities. When all of monster kind was stuck underground it’s all we pined for. Everyone in their own way stayed up nights dreaming about seeing the stars in the sky and breathing the fresh air.”

You sniffled, gazing up at his passionate expression.

He paused for a moment to look back at you.

“That’s what it’s like being in love with you. It’s agonizing to be torn away from you, but who could possibly blame you for that? When we were trapped underground we didn’t blame the surface itself for being so complex and beautiful – what sense is there in that?” He turned to you, looking deep in your eyes and grabbing both of your hands gently.

“It wasn’t your fault he loved you, Frisk. Who wouldn’t?”

He gazed down at you with eyes so adoring you couldn’t help but smile through your tears, giggling as you wiped them away. Damn it. Sans could make you feel like no one else could. Laughing a little to yourself you let the dark thoughts drift away as you gripped his hands back and smiled shakily back up at Sans.

“Papyrus didn’t love me.” Sans chuckled and brought you into a deep hug, kissing the top of your head gently.

“He didn’t want to date you, but he loves you.” Sans paused, resting his head on top of yours. “Everyone loves you.”

You both settled there for a moment, letting the wind whirl around you as the trees swayed beneath – it was as if nature itself was taking a deep breath with the both of you.

You pulled away from him gently, looking deep into his eyes with a soft smile.

He was so perfect.

Why didn’t he understand how perfect he was?

You wiped a final tear from your eyes and pulled him into a kiss.

He brought his arms lower around your waist as he pulled you back into him, kissing you softly and sharply – letting the buzz from the alcohol and emotions course through your veins – and for a moment it felt like the two of you were the center of the universe.


	31. Feeling Frisky

The apartment door burst open loudly as you and Sans stumbled through it, laughing breathlessly. He shut it behind you, keeping his arm tight around your waist. You giggled, pulling him into a kiss up against the door.

He pressed against you passionately, encouraged by your actions and you felt his hands drift across your frame. He drifted from your lips to your neck – you felt the sparks of his passion shock you, causing you to inadvertently twitch and moan lightly. He chuckled, pulling away for a moment.

“Do you like that?” You smiled wide, shaking your head – letting your arms drape around him.

“What do you think?”

He pressed closer to you, his legs pressing against yours. He raised a hand to brush a strand of hair behind your ear, his eyes focused softly on you.

“I think you’re beautiful.”

You found yourself getting lost in his expression.

Never before had you seen so much emotion in a single moment on his face – on anyone’s face, as you just had.

He was honest and passionate, both vulnerable and confident.

And he loved you.

He loved you so deeply you could tell he was afraid.

“Frisk I’ve never felt like this before.”

He was still pressed close to you, but he had lowered his eyes, drifting over to look at your arm in its cast.

“I mean….I’ve felt love before. I’ve loved you before.”

He took a deep breath and brought one of his hands to yours.

He took your hand gently, playing with your soft flesh between his fingers.

“I….can’t explain it.” He paused for a moment, unable to find the words.

You gently held his hand in yours, feeling the indents of his bones – warm and solid in your grasp.

You met his gaze with a soft smile, thinking.

            “Is it like fear, anger, frustration, passion, and worry all rolled into one?”

            His eyes widened as he looked back up at you.

            He squeezed your hands, smiling incredulously.

            “Yes.”

            You giggled at his surprised expression, your heart pumping heavily.

            “It must be what it’s like to be love…..and be loved.”

            His face was a flurry of emotion for a moment before he pulled you into another kiss, drawing you away from the door. In a swift motion he lifted you up and laid you down on the couch.

You sat up, laughing as he had disheveled your dress in the process.

You wrapped your arms around him and pulled him close to you, still laughing.

He chuckled, letting one arm slip around you as the other started to work at the clasp on the back of the dress before he paused – sitting back up.

“I….you’re okay with this, right?” His face was of utmost concern, worried almost that he had overstepped.

You laughed lightly, touched by how polite he always was.

“Yes, Sans. Of course I am. Don’t you think I would’ve said something?” He chuckled, although he still seemed fairly serious. He raised his arm to scratch the back of his skull nervously.

“Yeah….I know. But we were drinking earlier and I’ve never gotten drunk with you before so….I don’t know-”

You grabbed his shirt and pulled him into another kiss, as his arms drifted around to support your back – you let your fingers drift down below his pants line to play with his pelvic bone a little.

The sparks grew more intense as you gently stroked the bone all the way around, varying pressure as you went. He pulled away from the kiss, breathing heavy and looking a little embarrassed. He chuckled, pulling at his shirt a little.

“I….uh….I’ll take that as a yes, huh?”

You laughed as you reached back and unzipped your dress a little, unclasping it for him.

            He chuckled, watching you with fascination.

            “Geez, you seem eager. You must be feeling….Frisky.” You shook your head in fake disappointment.

            “I already used that one at the bar.” A sharp smile grew around his face.

            “I know. I liked it. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before.” He leaned over you as you leaned up to meet him. Before you could kiss you pulled away, incredulous.

            “Okay – wait. You haven’t thought of that before? That’s such bullshit. There’s no way you haven’t thought of that. I’ve thought of that like a million times.”

            Still leaning over you, Sans laughed and shrugged – looking down at you with the fondest expression.

            “I guess you’ve got the brains in this relationship.” He knocked his head and it made a hollow clunking noise.

Rolling your eyes as hard as you could didn’t stop the smile from sneaking across your face. You pulled him on top of you, bringing him into a kiss almost just to stop him from making any more puns.

The alcohol was still buzzing through your system but it didn’t dull your sense of touch – it felt electrified, although that might’ve been Sans.

His magic was unwieldy and shot in zigzags across your body instead of focusing on a single place. His kiss was steady but wherever his hands drifted his magic followed even if he didn’t intend it to.

Slipping his hands around to your back he slipped off your dress, you leaned up slightly to help him.

He was stuck for a moment gazing at your body as the dress fell limply to the floor from his hands.

“God damn it.”

You squirmed eagerly, impatient for his body.

“Take a picture it’ll last longer.”

He looked to you, almost a little dazed.

“Is that an option?”

You tossed the throw pillow on the couch at him – which he caught instantly in his magic.

Peering from behind the pillow, he shot you a wide smile.

“What is it with you and throwing things at me?”

Just then a spark of magic shot out in all directions from the floating pillow and some of it shot through you.

You felt such a surge of power and pleasure you moaned involuntarily, arching your pain and biting your lip as it surged through you.

The pillow dropped to the floor as his face was flushed with concern.

“Shit –Did I hurt you?”

The blue magic disappeared from behind his eyes and in a moment he was supporting you up a little, cradling your head. You were still riding out the pleasure as you opened your eyes, smiling faintly.

“What was that?”

A smile hesitantly broke out over Sans face as he traced a pattern softly into your skin, blue waves sparking and scattering over you – feeling almost like individual orgasms crossing your body. Sexually frustrated and amazed by his power, you arched your back once again – watching his excitement at how satisfied you were.

You couldn’t help but make noises as every curve of his finger, at every lift of contact left your skin.

Starting with your chest he traced the same pattern all over your body, every inch a new deeper sensation drilled into your nerves. When you finally found the energy to keep your eyes open you watched as the patterns he traced stayed there on your skin – light blue and glowing like the most intricate and beautiful of tattoos. The pattern was familiar. He had done this before.

After riding out another wave, you softly laughed and he lifted his head to look at you.

“You’ve done this before. A few times before. In other timelines. This pattern – you carved it in your sentry station.”

Sans smirked, his focus engulfed in the energy flow of your body.

“Guilty.”

As his hands drifted down to your underwear, the sparks ceased for a moment as he slipped them off – but his hands drifted across your soft, smooth legs.

Shuddering from anticipation, you sat up a little, watching as he unbuckled his pants, the buckle causing them to falling heavily to the floor. Closing his eyes he summoned his magic and the room was flushed with a fierce blue light – the rush of cold so powerful you felt your hair drift a little in the breeze.

You watched his member grow from this unwieldy magic and as he opened his eyes, he smirked.

“Harder than it looks.”

Then – upon realizing he inadvertently made a pun, he burst out laughing, his magic sparking through the whole room.

The microwave turned on and shorted out almost instantly.

The toaster kept popping until the cord was yanked out of the wall by the movement.

The television flickered on and off until the bulb busted.

The lights flickered, pulsing with the duration of his laughter until one by one they cracked.

Your eyes wide, you watched as Sans let the last of his laughter drift off as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“That was hilarious.”

He glanced down at you, lying naked impatiently on the couch. He coughed a little, embarrassed.

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” Closing his eyes again, he focused his magic in his fingertips and gently stroked his member a few times, using his other hand to gently rub across your clitoris. The wild magic had a different sensation on your privates and the tingling sensation grew to fierce sensation of nervous pleasure.

You bit your lip and struggled to not orgasm from the simple contact.

Taking a few deep breaths, trying to keep his magic together – he teased your entrance with his phantom dick, glancing up at you with hungry eyes. You let your arms drift behind your head, careful about your cast as you felt the pressure of his full member pressing into you.

It wasn’t just the pressure, it was the absolutely center of energy that seemed to erupt inside you.

With one push you were on the verge of orgasm.

You moaned and squirmed from trying to hold it together.

Watching you, Sans pulled out slowly before slamming it hard into you again. Groaning loudly, you gripped the edge of the couch with both your hands – your nails digging into the material.

It felt as if you entire body was blushing as he started to push more rhythmically, his hands drifting over your body like whirlpools, drawing their own energy wherever he moved.

Opening your eyes hesitantly, you saw the way he was looking down at you.

So passionate.

So hungry.

So loving.

He pressed harder upon seeing your gaze, locking eyes with you – he smiled and pushed deep inside you.

You felt the orgasm build and this time you didn’t fight it.

Bouncing your pelvis against his, you arched your back and felt him go deeper – his magic spiral in furious curves all over your body.

He watched your face the whole time, hungrily watching your expression as you twitched and moaned with every move.

With a final push you felt the magic explode from both of you – you moaned loudly and clawed at the couch, vaguely away of a tearing noise as you rode out the most wild orgasm of your life. Sans pressed faster as sweat rolled down his forehead, his hand gripping your thighs and stroking your skin.

You both locked eyes once again – pressing your bodies together in tandem, breathing heavy and smiling faintly, exhausted from the effort as you both slowed.

 

            BAM!

            In a sudden motion the door slammed open and before you could think there was a flash. You were laying on Sans’ bed, heart slamming from surprise and worry.

Sans leapt up from the bed, still breathing heavily to listen by the door.

“SANS!! WHAT WERE YOU AND THE HUMAN DOING? WHY DO NONE OF THE LIGHTS WORK?”

Sans chuckled nervously, turning around to say something quietly to you.

“WHY….WHY ARE YOUR CLOTHES ON THE FLOOR? SANS! COME OUT HERE, RIGHT NOW!”

Holding a hand over your mouth to stop yourself from laughing, you rolled up in the bed sheets and felt your face turn red.

Sans was laughing too, but he seemed a little worried as well.

“Why didn’t we just go in your room in the first place?” You spoke shakily through your suppressed laughter. “It was like ten feet away.”

            Blushing a dark shade of blue, Sans shrugged – changing into shorts and a t-shirt as quickly as he could. He walked over to you quickly, kissing you on the head softly.

            “Guess I was just feeling a little too…..”

            “Don’t. No.”

            “Frisky.”

            “SANS, I KNOW YOU’RE IN YOUR ROOM!” Sans turned and winked to you before opening the door and sliding out to explain to Papyrus exactly how the human knows what magic feels like.


	32. The Talk

As soon as Sans left, you hopped up from the bed and pulled the door back a bit – peeking into the living room.

            You wouldn’t miss this conversation for the world.

            Papyrus was standing in the living room, hands on his hips – tapping his foot impatiently next to a confused and embarrassed looking Kevin, Undyne and Alphys. Blushing quietly from your hiding spot you eagerly hoped that Papyrus was the only one who had seen anything.

            Sans shuffled into the room, also seeming a little uneasy that the rest of the gang was in attendance. Alphys coughed meaningfully and darted her eyes toward the door. Undyne cleared her throat loudly after an awkward silence hung in the air.

            “Uh…..so Alphys and I are exhausted. We’re just gonna head back to our place. We had a great time though!” She punched Kevin in the arm, causing him to almost loose his balance, “You and Pap made one hell of a team singing those human songs. We should hang out again sometime.” Kevin nodded weakly and rubbed his arm tenderly. Alphys gave him a shy smile and nervously followed her girlfriend out into the hall.

            Sans was still standing there, clearly uncomfortable from your perspective although he was trying to play it cool. Taking the hint, Kevin gave a small nervous laugh and started to back out into the hallway as well.

            “I uh….should probably get going too. Thank you for inviting me –”

            “NO!” Before Kevin could finish his sentence, Papyrus turned around and shut the living room door – causing the human to jump a little at the sudden noise. “I TOLD YOU I WOULD HELP YOU THROUGH THESE DIFFICULT TIMES AND I INSIST YOU STAY.” Papyrus turned to Sans with a bright smile. “SANS JUST HAS TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO ME REAL QUICK – HE’S BEEN AVOIDING IT, BUT I PROMISE IT WON’T TAKE VERY LONG.”

            Both Kevin and Sans blushed and looked extremely uncomfortable.

            “I…..I don’t know Papyrus, this all seems a little personal –”

            “Yea Pap, I’d kind of rather he wasn’t here either –”

            “WHY?”

            Another silence loomed as Sans slumped down in the love seat, regaining his casual attitude and chuckling.

            “Kevin looks a little tired, don’t you feel tired Kevin? I wouldn’t want to make him endure this conversation if he’d rather be taking a nap.” He winked at Kevin. “I wouldn’t dare deprive anyone of a good sleep.”

            You shook your head, smiling to yourself and recalling that there were many nights you had been deprived of sleep entirely because of Sans…..

            Taking the hint, Kevin’s face lit up and he immediately feigned exhaustion.

            “Yea…geez Pap. I’m exhausted, I should probably just go home.”

            “NONSENSE! I TOLD YOU I WOULD BE HERE FOR YOU, AND I WILL UPHOLD THAT PROMISE. YOU CAN SLEEP IN MY ROOM FOR THE TIME BEING.”  Kevin hesitated for a minute but Papyrus was stubborn as ever. He started walking towards the bedrooms, a little unsure. Papyrus pointed to the right and Kevin shuffled past your point of view.

            There was a pause before you heard the click of the door shutting.

            Papyrus sat down on the couch, leaning his elbows on his long legs – staring at Sans for a moment.

            “SO?”

Sans chuckled a little bit out of habit and nervousness and you couldn’t help but relish in his adorable uncomfortableness.

Papyrus didn’t change his expression.

Sighing, Sans paused for a moment – collecting his thoughts. He tented his fingers and turned to Papyrus as sincerely as he could. You couldn’t see his face but you could imagine his expression.

“Listen. Frisk and I are dating now….and when monsters….and people date they….they show affection in a lot of ways.”

“LIKE GOING ON DATES!”

Sans chuckled, scratching the back of his skull.

“Yea….like going on dates, but more specifically showing affection…. physically.”

Papyrus’ face scrunched up in confusion.

“PHYSICALLY?” He thought for a moment before interrupting Sans again. “OH YES! LIKE HUGS AND KISSES AND WHEN UNDYNE SUPLEXES ALPHYS JUST BECAUSE SHE CAN.”

“Yea….well no. Well – hugs and kisses yes, but the Undyne thing is kind of just Undyne’s thing.” Papyrus nodded, trying to appear in control of the conversation but you could sense a certain curiosity and confusion in his innocent face.

Sans adjusted his position on the couch, shuffling a little – still nervous.

“Well… um…you see….when two….” He coughed a little, adjusting himself again under the intense gaze of his brother’s fascination. “When two monsters….or people.  Or people and monsters. Or person, I guess. Uh….point is there’s two…or I mean I guess there could be more. Or one. I mean it just depends on y’know….” Sans pulled at his shirt nervously and you could see some sweat rolling off of his forehead.

 “Uh….it’s….it’s like when two…. beings…. feel really close to one another they feel an instinctual need to express those feelings in an….in an intimate manner.” Papyrus nodded, although he still seemed a little confused.

“SOO…..IT IS LIKE A HUG? WHEN YOU FEEL THE NEED TO HUG SOMEONE?”

“Yes…it’s like a hug but….it’s more meaningful because you share….personal pieces of yourself.”

“OH WOWWIE! SO IT’S LIKE A BEST FRIEND HUG! A SPECIAL HUG!”

“Well….Pap it’s not really like a hug –”

“WOW. A SPECIAL BEST FRIEND HUG. I’M IMPRESSED, SANS. I NEVER THOUGHT YOU CARED ENOUGH ABOUT ANYONE TO DATE THEM SO TACTFULLY.”

“I….what do you mean?”

Sans seemed caught off guard as he sat back slowly in his chair. Papyrus’ face lit up and he gestured to the pictures around the wall.

“YOU COULDN’T BE BOTHERED WITH MOST THINGS BEFORE THE HUMAN CAME. GRANTED, YOU ARE STILL LAZY – DON’T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT YOU ARE NOT – BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MUCH MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT YOUR ATTITUDE. YOU SEEM HAPPY AND….IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE THAT FRISK CAN MAKE YOU FEEL THIS WAY.”

Sans suddenly glanced back to the doorway and caught your eye. Your heart pounding you moved away from sight, but you knew he had already seen you. Cautiously peeking back through the door you caught him winking at you before he turned back to Papyrus.

“Thanks, Pap. She does make me happy…it means a lot to hear you say that.”

Papyrus smiled one of his classic, heartwarming smiles and glanced down at the floor.

“I’M NOT AS IGNORANT AS YOU THINK I AM, SANS. I MAY NOT UNDERSTAND A LOT ABOUT THE….ERR….PHYSICAL PORTIONS OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO EXPLAIN – BUT I CAN TELL THAT THE TWO OF YOU ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. SO MUCH OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN SPENT TRYING TO GET BACK ALL OF THE HOPE THAT YOU HAD LOST OVER THE YEARS, BUT FRISK SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO DO SO NATURALLY.” Papyrus looked up at Sans, his expression soft and content. His voice dropped to a level you had scarcely ever heard.

“I….I just want you to be happy, Sans. A lot of the things that you and the human do confuse me.” He gestured to the clothes still strewn lazily on the floor and you blushed again from your solitary observation. “I….I have no idea exactly what any of it is or what it means but if it makes you happy, I accept it. I just want to understand it….I just want to understand you better.”

Sans didn’t speak for a moment, he was so touched.

After a few moments, Sans leaned forward and cleared his throat.

“Do….do you know about sex, Papyrus?” Papyrus seemed caught off guard and his face blushed deeply.

“I….IS THAT YOU AND THE HUMAN HAVE BEEN DOING? I’M NOT SURE REPRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE….”

Sans laughed anxiously, shaking his hands to deter the thought from Papyrus’ mind although he also seemed suspicious at his brother’s response.

“So…you know what sex is?” Papyrus looked away from Sans, his skull still glowing red. Hesitating as if he didn’t truly believe his brother, Sans continued although he was distracted at this newfound information. “Well….uh so when I was talking about becoming closer and sharing a private piece of you….sex can be that for a lot of people. Intimacy, that is. Sex isn’t just for reproduction….” Interrupting the purpose of his speech, Sans shook his head, “Okay, wait who told you about sex?”

Papyrus shrugged shyly and tugged at the sleeves of his jacket.

“UNDYNE AND ALPHYS EXPLAINED IT TO ME A WHILE AGO. IT WAS A COMBINATION OF SCIENCE AND METAPHORS THAT I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND. BUT I COULD GRASP THAT THE PRIME PURPOSE IS REPRODUCTION.”

“Oh.”

“YEAH.”

“Well…anyways….that’s all there really is to it. Sex isn’t just for ….uh….reproduction – it can be a way to express how close you feel to someone you love –”

As soon as the word left his mouth, Papyrus leapt from the couch and picked Sans up in a spinning hug.

“YOU LOVE HER??? YOU LOVE THE HUMAN?!?” Sans laughed nervously as he was swung around in circles, stiff and uncomfortable in his brother’s embrace. “I KNEW IT!! OH SANS THIS IS FANTASTIC! HOW OFTEN DO YOU AND FRISK HAVE THIS SEX? IF YOU DO IT MORE OFTEN DOES IT INCREASE YOUR LOVE POWER?” His face washed in blue, Sans looked almost pained from how embarrassed he was.

“Can you keep your voice down Papyrus?”

“HOW CAN I?? MY BROTHER IS IN LOVE! MY BROTHER HAS SEX TO INCREASE HIS LOVE! I’M SO PROUD!” Once Papyrus set him down heavily, Sans weakly slumped back into the seat while Papyrus punched the air successfully. Sans covered his face with his hands but it didn’t hide the blue burning through his skull.

“I regret everything. I shouldn’t’ve told you.”

“WELL I HAD AN IDEA THAT’S WHAT THE TWO OF YOU WERE DOING….I MEAN HONESTLY SANS, DID YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU BOTH WERE PLAYING BOARDGAMES?”

You gasped from inside the room, holding back another laughing fit. Sans looked sharply up at him.

“You knew?”

“WELL NOT EXACTLY. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT SPECIFICALLY THE TWO OF YOU WERE DOING BUT IT WAS CLEARLY SOMETHING PERSONAL AND IF YOU WERE WILLING TO LIE ABOUT IT I FIGURED IT WAS MORE POLITE TO PLAY ALONG.”

Sans was speechless, Papyrus put his hands on his hips – thinking to himself.

“I STILL DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT, BUT KNOWING THAT IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH LOVE AND NOT REPRODUCTION PUTS EVERYTHING INTO A DIFFERENT LIGHT. I ONLY HAVE ONE QUESTION.” His face the very definition of agony, Sans cringed.

“What is it?”

“WHY DOES THE HUMAN SOUND LIKE SHE’S IN PAIN WHEN YOU BOTH….WHEN YOU SEX?”

Sans teetered on the edge of his seat, clearly ready to leave the uncomfortable conversation.

“It’s more complicated than pain really….to describe it better would be…..it’s more like….” After a moment of silence he chuckled to himself and glanced towards the door to make sure you were watching. His face was still flushed and he looked embarrassed as hell, but he had a look of mischievousness on his face and you felt yourself grow pale.

Oh no.

“There is something called the bone zone, and this zone occurs when Frisk and I are uh….able to be intimate. She’s really eager for the bone zone – desperate in fact. The noises you hear her make are actually moans because she wants it so bad.”

Papyrus considered the information for a moment.

“SO…. ONE MIGHT SAY SHE IS MOANING FOR THIS…. ZONE OF BONE?”

Sans burst out laughing, his face flushed but his voice light and hearty. Pounding his fist on the arm of the chair – he ignored Papyrus’ confused and curious expression. Glancing back at you with a wide smile, Sans wiped away a tear from laughing and chuckled to himself.

“Yea. One might say that.”


	33. Never Forget

For the longest time Danny waited for the mysterious figure to come back.

            Although he hadn’t understood what the figure had said, they were able to communicate interpretatively and with the boredom and onslaught of unanswered questions piling – he desperately wanted advice.

His perception of time was anchored to the events he could see within his brother’s soul, of which he cradled protectively.

Kevin had gotten off of work and walked back to the village, numbly opening the door and standing there for a few moments at the mess left by his deceased brother.

Danny’s heart twinged as his brother sat down on the couch heavily, taking a shirt in his hands and gripping it tightly. More minutes passed as he brought the shirt to his face and started to weep softly.

“Why was she so important to you?” Kevin spoke and the sudden interruption of silence startled Danny for a moment. “I shouldn’t have indulged you.” Kevin wiped his tears away with his arm and fell back onto the couch, letting the heartbreak weigh on him for a moment. Becoming more invested in the unfolding events, Danny was pulled into the golden reality and found himself sitting beside his brother. Tentatively, he tried to put an arm around Kevin but it phased through.

“I’m so weak, Danny.” Kevin laughed somberly to himself. “I was weak to believe you that you needed Frisk.” He shook his head as another tear rolled down. “I was weak to kidnap her. I know that now. Things might’ve been…..they might’ve been different if I just let you meet her organically.” His older brother explored that option in his head but knew in his heart her love for Sans was too strong. It wouldn’t have mattered.

“I’m weak right now. I should be angry. They killed you. No matter what they say about….something or somebody possessing you – they killed you. I should kill them all, I should force them to feel how I feel right now – the loss, the words unspoken….” Kevin’s expression grew guilty. “But I can’t. I know it isn’t right. I know they were telling the truth. As soon as you met her, something poisonous started to grow in your heart and there was no stopping it. But still I could’ve…..I should’ve….” His words drifted off into his thoughts where they faded into nothing. Danny spoke out of reflex more than anything.

“It’s not your fault, Kevin.”

The silence hung in the air as nothing more happened between the two brothers. Kevin let his tears dry as he started emptily into the ceiling. Danny uncomfortably sat on the couch watching him, feeling doubtful and confused about his current fate until the lack of interaction in that world spun him back into the empty void.

Hugging the golden orb tightly, Danny looked down at this brother as Kevin got up from the sofa and began getting ready for his night at the karaoke bar.

Glancing up, Danny was startled to find the phantom hovered not five feet from where he was sitting. Jolting back, Danny held the orb tighter for fear that he had come to take it back. The specter rose a single, malformed hand in a suggestion to calm down.

The sound of bells echoed from all around Danny as the phantom gestured to the yellow orb and then to the vast thousands of orbs that spanned the void. The mysterious figure glided a few paces back and then gestured for Danny to follow him.

After a few moments, Danny stood up carefully – his legs stiff from sitting for so long – and then paused as he reached the end of the flower bed.

“Can….Can I walk on it?” He looked up nervously at the figure, still unsure of whether the cloaked creature had a malicious intent beyond all of this. The figure shook his head and gestured something that resembled rising up.

Confused, Danny stepped on the seemingly empty air space to feel his weight being support by the thinnest of floors. Almost instantly his foot crashed through the space and his leg began to melt and drip as the black void started to seep onto his shoes and skin.

Screaming, Danny fell back on the flower bed and tried to scrape the void off of him but it was a part of him now. His foot had the appearance of melted butter and the swirl of void that had mixed in felt as soft as silk.

            Terrified, he looked up at the figure for help and it almost appeared to look annoyed. The bells began to clang as the specter again repeated the gesture, this time pointing to the orb and pointing to set it down on the flower bed.

            Understanding the context, but fearful of losing his brother – Danny clutched it tighter.

            “Why?”

            The bells clanged forcefully as Danny turned partially away from the specter, afraid he would take Kevin away from him. Closing the empty sockets with a pinprick of light one might call his ‘eyes’, the phantom summoned a green glow around him and suddenly a few lines of text appeared glowing in the space next to him. It was written using some complex characters and Danny still didn’t understand it.

            There was a moment of silence between the two beings as they stared at the text.

            Danny reached forward hesitantly out of curiosity and touched the floating characters until they started flickering through thousands of different numeric and character values. His heart pumping he retreated back to his safe space cuddling with his brother’s orb as he watched the characters spin until one by one they fell in series of sentences written in English.

            “You cannot glide while holding an orb.

  Release your brother, leave him on the petals for now.

  You can come back.

  Lift your soul up and glide above the darkness

  Or fear that it might morph you into a being such as I.”

Danny read and re-read the orders until his heart slowed down to a normal pace. He turned to the figure, who seemed satisfied with itself.

“You….You used to be human? Until you….” Danny glanced down at his permeantly mutated foot in despair. “Did you fall into the….darkness?”

The specter reached out and gently touched the floating text until it flickered into a new arrangement, again in an unreadable font. Understanding the new form of communication, Danny did the same until it flickered into English.

“Yes. Although I was not human before.

  I spent many hours agonizing in boredom and confusion on that same island.

  There was an orb that glowed brightly, the essence of which was someone dear to me.

  I didn’t understand.

  I tried to jump.

  I almost didn’t make it.

  I screamed in agony at the realization that the mass weighing around me was me.

  My new body.”

Horrified, the young human wasn’t sure what to say.

The specter tapped again and Danny translated.

            “My name is Gaster.

              Will you let me help you?”

            Danny looked down again at the orb that was his brother’s soul and took one last glimpse of his brother leaving the house with a grim expression. He carefully set the orb down in the bed of flowers and watched as the vision of his brother faded into yellow.

            “Yes.”

 

            You awoke slowly to the silence of the early morning.

            The sun was not yet up and Sans’ room was still enveloped in a dark blue shadow, his arm wrapped limply around your waist. You smiled to yourself as you heard him breathe heavily in the midst of a deep sleep.

You tried to fall back asleep, if not solely as to not disturb him, but your mind was already racing and you wanted to take advantage of the quiet. Running your hand gently over his, you lifted it off of you as softly as you could – switching your body with your pillow. His breathing was uninterrupted and he seemed as peaceful as ever.

Slipping into the living room of the apartment, you admired how serene it appeared – as if every piece of furniture and the very atmosphere were all enjoying a deep slumber. Pulling Sans’ jacket tight around you, you peeked into Papyrus’ room – curious about how Kevin had fared.

Papyrus and Kevin were both asleep, Papyrus tucked tight in his racecar bed – Kevin curled up on the floor with some of the pillows from the couch and what looked like a beach towel. Board games and puzzle books were strewn about the room in a haphazard mess and seven bowls of spaghetti were surrounding Kevin.

Giggling to yourself you shut the door and paused in the doorway of your own room.

All the pictures and letters had been neatly organized and placed on the bed that you had still yet to sleep in. Their very presence was calling to you, but you feared their contents might disturb the beautiful peace that had settled since Danny’s death. You stepped a little closer – leaning on the door frame as you brought a hand to your lips, considering your options.

A few minutes passed as the faint rays of the sun started to peer through the blinds behind you. You stepped forward and after a moment of hesitation picked up the first letter on the pile.

It looked like a torn journal entry.

 

“It’s been months. Every morning when I wake up, I expect to see you next to me – your hair messy and that faint sleepy smile…I can’t believe that you’re gone. I refuse to accept it.

            They told me you died climbing that damn mountain.

            I told you it was dangerous.

            But you just laughed and rolled your eyes.

            I should’ve stopped you. I should’ve gone with you. I should’ve….

            They never found your body.

            I know that’s why I feel this way. They keep telling me you died climbing the mountain but what do they know? You could be trapped or hurt somewhere. Maybe somebody took you. I keep pacing through the foothills looking for you. I call your name every day until my voice is sore. I can’t sleep at night because I picture you alone calling out for help.

            I’m tearing myself to pieces.

            Should I trek out into the villages beyond to find your kidnapper?

            Or will that waste precious time as you struggle for oxygen at the bottom of a cave in?

            I’ve never felt more alone.”

 

            Hands shaking, you turned the page over to find the next entry, dated the very next day.

 

            “They found your body. There has to be another way. I keep hearing these voices in my head. _Go back_. They tell me. _You can do it. Just go back and SAVE her._ Am I insane?

            Can I?

            I visit your burial site every day, bringing you golden flowers – your favorite. The voices get louder every time.

            I’ve almost killed myself, Frisk.

            I’ve been so close, so many times.

            Kevin tries to comfort me but his words are white noise to me now.

            I just hear those same words, _SAVE her, SAVE her._

            But I can’t!

            …..can I?”

 

            You were about to set the page down when you noticed the scrawling indented on the paper from a pen that must’ve ran out of ink.

 

            “I can.”

 

            Uneasily, you set the page down – disturbed and confused at why Sans found these pages so important. You flipped through love notes and other ramblings, trying to find something to piece together a dire importance. You didn’t want to look through the pictures.

            That wasn’t your body, that wasn’t your face.

            Frustrated and upset that all the pages had done was remind you of somebody you never were, you turned to leave the room to find Sans standing somberly in the doorway.

            You paused for a moment, trying to find some meaning in his expression.

            “Why did you want me to read these, Sans?” He brought his eyes up to meet yours, a deep sadness lingered in them – but he didn’t respond.

            “You didn’t even like Danny, I didn’t even know him – not really. Every time we bring him back into our lives things get complicated and painful. Why do you want this so badly?” Sans stepped forward, his hands in his pockets. He walked past you, overlooking the pile of memories.

            “He died protecting you, Frisk. He died stopping a concentrated evil.” He looked up into your face as his expression softened. “Never forget that, Frisk.” He brushed through a few of the letters without any intent.

            “He wanted you to read these. That might not have been all he wanted, but it’s the least you can do. He died with Chara in his soul –  and he’s in a worse place than death right now – the least we can do is respect his wishes.” He stepped back out of the room and with the manner in which he spoke you could understand he wasn’t just talking about Danny. He paused in the doorway, trying to form a more eloquent sentence to express himself – but it seemed too painful so he stopped and just repeated,

            “Never forget.”


	34. A Memory and a Feeling

You sat on your bed for a long time, holding the pictures and thinking about what Sans had said. Were you being a little selfish? Or was this not ever really about Danny at all? 

As the morning started to drift in through the blinds and shine all over the apartment, you let the thoughts drift through your mind.

He would tell you when he was ready.

Resolved and feeling a little differently about the pictures and letters scattered over the bed, you stood up and quietly walked back into Sans’ room to find him sitting on the edge of his bed looking a picture.

Was he…..ready?

You walked over slowly and sat down next to him without saying a word. Leaning your head on his shoulder you glanced at the picture.

It was of you and him at Shyren’s concert in the Underground, just a few months before all of this had begun.

He had been selling tickets but let you in for a more tempting price.

A dance.

You smiled as the memory grew a little clearer in your mind – pushing through all of the resets.

 

You had been standing in line for tickets with Papyrus and Undyne, anxious at the opportunity to see Shyren and Mettaton live. Despite being advertised as a free event, there seemed to be a ticket booth at the entrance – and as you got closer you recognized the skeleton slouching over the counter, smiling and nodding as he took random amounts of money in exchange for pieces of cardboard with “TICKET” written on them in marker.

When it was your turn in line, Sans broke out into a wider smile and outstretched his hand. You giggled, rolling your eyes and handed him the only change you had – just a few coins in your pocket. His face grew a little softer and set the coins aside, outstretching his hand once more.

“Admission price just changed due to uh….increase in demand.” He winked at you. “The new price is the value of one dance, redeemable tonight with yours truly.” You tried to fight the smile stealing over your visage and leaned on the counter teasingly.

“Is that right?” He locked eyes with you.

“Yep.” He paused for a moment, looking over your expression. “Now if you could ma’am, please make your transaction quickly, the line is starting to back up.” You laughed and shot a quick glance behind you – nobody else was behind you but Papyrus – Undyne had already gone through and was tapping her foot impatiently.  

“Well alright. Who could argue with such a great deal?” You shook his hand and the brief contact felt righteous. He looked back at you a moment too long, where you started to peer beyond his normal façade and catch a glimpse of his desires.

But then moment dissipated quickly as he retracted his hand.

“I WOULD LIKE TO CHOOSE THE SECOND OPTION AS WELL, SANS.” Papyrus stepped past you confidently and extended his hand. Sans shrugged and winked at you.

“All out of tickets, sorry bro.”

“THEN WHAT IS THAT MASSIVE PILE BEHIND YOU.”

“My new art sculpture. Do you like it?”

“NO I….JUST GIVE ME A TICKET SANS!”

“Now calm down, sir – you’re acting a little hostile.”

“I…..NO I’M NOT! YOU’RE BEING RIDICULOUS!”

“Wow. Petty insults. I expected more from my own brother.”

You walked through the makeshift turn style made out of a bicycle wheel and joined Undyne who was shaking her head watching the two brothers argue.

“SANS!” Papyrus pouted and it was clear he was starting to get frustrated. Sans chuckled to himself and handed Papyrus a piece of cardboard spray painted gold with the word “VIP” on them. Papyrus gasped and took it slowly, bringing it to his chest as tears streamed down his face.

“OH……OH SANS! THANK YOU!”

“Don’t mention it.”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, SANS! I WILL MENTION IT EVERYDAY FROM NOW ON.”

“Okay. Fine with me.”

Papyrus was about to say something else but decided ignoring him was easier. Sans shut down the ticket stand and opened the gate despite the fact that there was probably nobody left in the Underground that wasn’t already at the concert.

Although the three of you had walked a decent distance, in no time Sans just appeared right next to you – walking casually with his hands deep in his pockets.

The concert was fantastic, and the music was mind-defyingly beautiful. The mixing and light effects were done by Napstablook and the atmosphere was intoxicating.

You ended up dancing with Sans all night despite the entry fee being only one song.

Somehow you didn’t mind overpaying.

At the end of the night, while Papyrus went onstage to talk to Mettaton – you and Sans sat at the bottom of the stage’s stairs, watching everyone slowly and happily disperse.

Catching your breath after such an incredible night, you leaned into him without thinking.

It had felt so natural.

Like you had done it a thousand times before.

You felt his breathing sharpen for a moment.

Looking back you considered that he might’ve been wondering if you had remembered, or if this had just been a random coincidence.

You remember feeling his arm fall around you hesitantly, unsure if it was what you wanted or not. Feeling a little overwhelmed – and suddenly realizing what you were doing you hopped up red-faced.

“Oh! Um….do you want to take a picture? With me?”

Sans collected himself and stuck his hands in his pockets, smiling – as you now suspected – through the disappointment.

“Sure.”

 

You watched his expression carefully at he looked at the picture. He let out a sigh and let his arms fall a little as he turned to you.

“I almost gave up that night. I had been to that concert with you what felt like a million times and every time it felt like heaven.” He looked away for a moment, the smile fading a little on his face. “Right up until that moment on the steps. Normally what would happen was we would talk and laugh….Papyrus would come back….I would crack a few jokes….we would go to Grillbys late and then you'd just…..leave. That was when most of the resets happened. But that night we took this picture was the first time you didn’t. You actually made a move – for the first time I felt like there was a chance. And to think that it almost never happened, or that I was so close to giving up….”

Sans shook his head and stuffed the picture under his mattress, crinkling it for sure.

He turned to you with a smile and stroked your face softly.

“Sorry. I woke up hugging and whispering to a pillow this morning. I’m feeling a little off today.” You giggled and leaned into him as he held you.

“Is that right? What did you say to the pillow?” Sans shrugged and laid back on the bed, getting comfortable. You curled up next to him and put your head on his chest.

“I don’t know if you can handle it, kid. It’s some pretty raunchy stuff.” You felt so content in the moment, recalling such a beautiful memory – you didn’t even respond. You just smiled and enjoyed the feeling on holding him, of being held – and listening to him talk.

It was peaceful and beautiful, feeling the ease of a relaxing morning – watching the sun slowly fade into the apartment and let the golden glow through into the room….

            “AWAKEN, KEVIN! THE TIME FOR BREAKFAST SPAGHETTI HAS COME UPON US!” You and Sans groaned and laughed at the same time. Early morning Papyrus was decidedly the most excitable.

            His door slammed open as a half-asleep Kevin stumbled through the door, egged on by a pajama clad Papyrus. Kevin turned and saw you and Sans cuddled on the bed and immediately turned red and looked away. Papyrus followed his gaze and leapt into the room.

            “WAKE UP, WAKE UP – YOU PAIR OF LAZY BONES! I’M SURE YOU’RE TIRED FROM STAYING UP ALL NIGHT” Papyrus blocked his face so that only Sans could see….although you could still see him perfectly – and winked “SEXING EACH OTHER OUT OF LOVE, BUT WE HAVE A GUEST AND BREAKFAST NEEDS TO BE MADE!” Sans was a deep shade of blue and when you looked up at him he shrugged, blushing even more under your gaze.

            You both got up, and you suddenly realized you weren’t wearing any pants – just Sans’ shirt and jacket. Hoping the shirt was long enough so that this wasn’t evident, you quickly walked into your room and shut the door – hurriedly looking through your drawers – surprised that Papyrus managed to unpack things so neatly and effectively, until you found a pair of sleepwear shorts that at the very least hid your underwear from view.

Returning into the apartment, everyone had moved to the kitchen. Walking gently into the room you took a seat at the counter and said good morning softly to Kevin.

His blonde hair was messy and seemed to shift to one side, a massive cowlick protruding in the back. His eyes had deep, dark circles underneath them and he quietly folded his arms and laid his head down on the counter.

“Good morning, Frisk.” He said emptily as he almost fell completely back asleep.

Papyrus walked over to you and gestured to Kevin.

“WE TALKED AT THE BAR WHILST YOU AND MY BROTHER WERE OFF CAVORTING….” The tall, sweet skeleton stared down at his gloves, viably upset recalling the event.

“HE’S HAD A TOUGH TIME THE PAST FEW DAYS. HE’S TOLD ME HE’S DREAMPT OF HIS BROTHER EVERY NIGHT. THE WAY HE SPOKE….THE WAY HE DESCRIBED HIS PAIN.” Papyrus glanced at Sans who was rifling through the fridge, but was clearly listening. “I WOULD NEVER WANT TO FEEL THAT WAY.” You nodded and put an arm around Papyrus and patted gently.

Still fumbling with his explanation, you noted that Kevin had genuinely fallen back asleep.

“I HOPE IT’S OKAY….I TOLD HIM HE COULD STAY WITH US IF HE EVER FELT LONELY. I MEAN….IT IS….I MEAN TO SAY HIS BROTHER IS NO LONGER….BECAUSE OF US.”

“Because of me, Papyrus.” You felt your heart fall a little bit as Papyrus glanced away from you. He didn’t want to say it, but he knew it was true.

Sans slammed down a box of batter mix, a nervous smile on his face.

“C’mon guys, let’s just make some pancakes.” Papyrus looked a little distastefully at the mix.

“I WAS THINKING SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE…..SPAGHETTI.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose and took a deep breath. Papyrus was loveable and charming, but if you ate another batch of his spaghetti – you were going to lose your mind.

Sensing this, Sans shrugged to Papyrus.

“Trust me, Paps. Let’s just go with the pancakes. They’re not so bad, you can cut them up into tiny little slices and then cover them with syrup. It’s basically spaghetti.”

Papyrus leapt into action helping Sans after that, and you leaned happily on the counter watching them.

As the breakfast making continued and the conversation lulled, you felt a disturbing sensation grow over you.

Someone was watching you.

            You pulled the jacket tight around you as you glanced casually around the room – trying not to worry Sans or Papyrus with something that might be nothing.

            The feeling was cold and physical.

It felt almost violating in some deep, unshakable way.

Sans caught your expression and stopped in his tracks, sensing that something was wrong.

You tried to wave him on and force a smile, but as soon as he saw your uneasiness he picked up on the sensation too.

He looked around the room, almost scared it seemed.

Like he knew what to expect.

Like he had experienced this before.


	35. Chapter 35

Danny wasn’t sure what he had thought would happen after he died, but he hadn’t expected this.

Gliding over the darkness, he followed behind Gaster as they drifted through the many colorful orbs floating over the surface. He glanced back briefly at the island of golden flowers, nervously watching his brothers orb – still secure in its position.

Then suddenly the floating specter stopped when he came to a light blue orb that was pulsing brighter than those around it. Danny had noticed it earlier.

Upon closer inspection he noticed a few small cracks and chips missing. Gaster seemed completely transfixed by it. Hesitantly, he reached out with a shaking finger and dissipated into nothing.

Danny waited for a few moments, unsure if he should follow him or not.

Floating alone above the disfiguring tar, his fears started to creep over his shoulder and crawl down his back.

He quickly touched the blue orb and in a flash he was standing on the top of a mountain, the wind blowing through his hair and the vast lands spread out below him.

He remembered this mountain.

He had memorized every inch of its treacherous cliff and paths.  

He took a moment to let the painful memories wash over him as he imagined the countless hours searching for his wife, drenched in sweat – both from the effort and from his desperation.

Taking a deep breath he attempted to subdue his emotions only to have them erupt as he turned to see Frisk and Sans staring out into the horizon. She was dressed beautifully in a flowing red dress, clinging tight around her curves – her arm stiff in a cast.

His heart beating wildly, Danny stepped a little closer.

She had curled her hair like she used to do for him whenever they went out to dinner.

He watched the two of them react in a sort of surprise. Sans seemed embarrassed, scratching the back of his skull nervously.

“I uh….I can’t always control my magic perfectly when I drink. I’m sorry.”

Frisk giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

Jealousy and anger burned furiously in Danny’s heart, stifled briefly by the understanding that this kind of passion is what killed him.

Still, he couldn’t help but step closer.

Sans shrugged and slipped his arm around Frisk.

After a few moments the two of them started in an intimate conversation.

Their words faded into the back of his mind as he stepped even further now, watching how she smiled and laughed.

How she looked at him.

How concerned she was with what he thought.

How tightly she pressed herself against him.

Even though Danny knew they couldn’t see him, he felt ashamed. He stepped back and sat on a rock, watching the two of them chatter on.

He already knew this Frisk wasn’t the same woman he married.

He knew this in his heart.

But the idea that she was dead –

            Danny’s heart skipped a beat as he stood up suddenly.

            She was dead.

            He was dead.

            Is it possible?

            For the first time since his transportation, Danny glanced around wildly, looking for Gaster. As he carefully examined the environment, Frisk and Sans had started walking back into the cave behind them and the rest of the world started to melt the further they walked in. As they disappeared into the cave Danny saw him – semi-transparent and imposing, following them.

            Hurrying along, he called out eagerly.

“Is it possible to visit other timelines from the…..from whatever that place is?” The phantom merely nodded, distracted and moved past Danny.

Bubbling with hope and full of questions, he watched, confused as Gaster followed the couple deeper into the cave.

“….Why are you so interested in Frisk and Sans anyway?” This stopped the spirit in his tracks but he did not turn around. Gaster rose his hand as if to respond with the wall of text but let it fall to his side once more.

He moved closer to the pair of them, sitting across from them.

A decent amount of time passed and the pair had been talking for quite a while. Danny was becoming impatient. The pain of being forced to see Frisk with Sans was plagued by the uncertainty of his newfound ambition.

But – taking a deep breath, he rationalized that Gaster was his only hope of understanding his situation. At the very least he could wait with him.

Gaster remained uninterested in him.

Danny glanced at the ghastly specter to find his expression coherently miserable. His eyes were locked on Sans as he listened to them talk. Deciding there might be some hidden importance, the young ghost begrudgingly followed suit.

            Frisk’s voice rang out clearly now that he was concentrating on it, soft and sweet. It was like a knife to the heart, ironically.

            “What’s your favorite memory from when you were younger?” An incredibly naiive and simple question given the context, but Gaster seemed more engaged than ever.

            Sans smiled and leaned back on the wall, closing his eyes.

            “Huh. That’s a good one.” There were a few moments of silence before he began recalling learning to read and teaching his brother. Perhaps it was his distaste for Sans, but Danny found the story uneventful – but the imposing phantom stood up slowly and walked over to him, almost like a moth to a flame.

A genuine smile stole over the specter’s face when Sans would chuckle over the memory, or mention his brother’s determination and a realization stole over Danny.

            Was Gaster Sans’……..Father? His mentor? An older brother?

            The young man grew a little uneasy.

            Did this monstrous being know that he had once tried to kill the skeleton brothers?

            He was comforted only by the fact that he was already dead.

            What more could be done to him?

            As Sans’ story came to an end, Gaster’s face was flushed with pride and suppressed joy. Danny was so focused on his expression that he was a little startled when Sans kicked a rock that scattered loudly across the floor of the cavern.

As Sans commented that he might’ve drank a little bit too much, Gaster stood up – apparently satisfied with what he had heard.

He nodded, and in turn Danny eagerly walked over to him – anxious to understand his situation better.

Gaster glanced back at Sans with a melancholy smile across his face before he dissipated from their universe.

Just as he was about to do the same, a sentence spoken from Sans stopped him in his tracks.

“I think you should read the letters Danny left you.”

At this Danny turned around, watching Frisk’s expression.

She looked uncomfortable, but Danny felt genuine compassion for Sans for the first time. The skeleton didn’t want to express this thought, but he clearly felt he had to.

“I just think you deserve to know where you come from. Where you would’ve come from. Not as a replacement to what you’ve been through but as an addition. Like you said….despite everything….you’d still be you.”

            Frisk turned away from him, her expression flickering through so many emotions. Danny walked over to her, understanding how she felt. He felt it right now in the same moment. He was in love with Frisk, but in this timeline she could never love him. In his timeline Frisk was dead. Although hopeful, he was unsure he would ever be able to see her again.

“I know you still think about him. I can feel it. What you said in the bar was…..nice and comforting but it wasn’t true.” Danny didn’t understand the context, but the idea of her still thinking about him sparked the fire back in his passion. He knew it was wrong. This wasn’t his timeline. He had ruined things too much already.

“I know you love me. I know that now. It’s more than that though….Danny loved you, too. And as jealous as it makes me feel to consider it, in another timeline you loved him back. He sacrificed a lot to see you, and I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same.” Sans turned away for a moment and Danny started to feel sick inside.

Watching this was starting to make him feel an immense wave of guilt.

He had crashed into their lives and shaken everything apart.

He didn’t deserve to imagine that Frisk might still love him.

He need to go back to his own timeline – if he could.

            Stepping away from the two of them, Danny felt his hands shaking. For the first time since he switched timelines he could feel the time stream rejecting him like a virus. He had infected this world and whether there was a way to see Frisk again or not, he didn’t belong here.

            As he disappeared back into the void, he considered where he belonged.

            He had left his timeline to restart in this one.

            He therefore was from both timelines.

            In one he disappears forever after he leaves to find Frisk, in another he begins again as a child hell bent on finding her.

            And now he was dead.

            His rationalization slowly came to fruition as he realized there was no hope.

            Without the power to reset, he could only float among the timelines forever.

            Never belonging.

            Never ending his existence or satisfying it in any way.

            His only hope…..

            He turned to Gaster, who was deep in thought – and nervously asked,

            “If we can visit the living in this place,” Danny could feel his pulse rising and his hopes wavering, “is it possible to visit the dead?”

 

 

            Back at the flower bed where Danny had left his brother’s orb, another cursed soul had passed through and stopped to examine it.

            The soul was beaten and bruised, and they were clinging to their faint existence.

            Curious, they lifted up the orb and allowed for it to glow so they could observe within.

            They saw a few familiar faces.

            How unbelievably lucky.

            A young man with blonde hair was shyly talking to a lanky skeleton.

            They were being urged onstage in a vocal duet.

            The cursed soul looked around the void and saw a human and specter in the distance.

            For a moment the cursed soul considered the specter to be a valid threat, but the specter was effectively occupied.

            The human was emotionally shaken and vulnerable.

            The cursed soul chuckled to itself.

            Round two.

            With a sharp quick movement the cursed soul forced a small crack into the orb, and allowed for their essence to be absorbed in the space they created.

            They weren’t strong enough yet.

            But soon they would be.


	36. Someone Who Understands

            Trying not to draw attention from Papyrus or Kevin, you examined the apartment closely, allowing the crawling sensation to guide you until for no reason at all – it started to fade.

            Glancing over to Sans you could tell he felt it too, but he didn’t seem in any way relieved.

            “SANS! THE LIQUID FOOD IS STARTING TO CONGEAL! WHAT DO I DO!”

A little startled, Sans turned back to Papyrus and flipped the pancakes for him. Papyrus gasped and examined the new side, watching it eagerly to wait until it had browned perfectly.

Kevin woke up suddenly, his eyes drowsy and his face flushed. He looked around at all of you, seemingly frightened, but allowed himself to calm after a few moments. He laid his head back down on his arms – although it didn’t seem like he was going to fall back asleep.

Sans walked over to you stiffly, concern in his eyes.

“Do you know what that was?” You shook your head, almost more frightened by the look in his eyes than the actual event.

He didn’t say anything else and you felt a growing fear.

“What was it?”

“I….don’t know for certain. But you need to be careful. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I can figure out what it was for sure.” He grabbed your arm protectively as he leaned in, speaking even quieter. “If you start to feel anything….unsettling….” He drifted off, as if he couldn’t stomach to finish his thought.

“Just – you can’t be too careful.”

At that moment Papyrus pulled out the cutting board and laid it on the counter, beginning the excruciatingly intricate process of cutting thin strands out of pancakes. Sans slipped back into his casual demeanor and for the rest of the morning things proceeded as normal, although actually eating the spaghetti-pancakes took up 1/20th of the time it took to prepare them.

“ALRIGHT KEVIN, NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN FILLED WITH SUGARY IMITATION SPAGHETTI – ARE YOU READY TO GET YOUR BLOOD PUMPING?”

Kevin turned to you and Sans, a little confused and worried.

“He just wants to go jogging with you, Kevin.” Despite your translation, he didn’t seem anymore relieved when Papyrus picked him up over one shoulder. The blonde teenager’s eyes grew wide as he struggled to balance himself.

“Um – actually Papyrus, I think I’m just going to go home. I appreciate you all letting me stay here but….I don’t feel well. I’m not sure if it was something I ate last night –

“SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus chimed in cheerfully. Kevin chuckled and winced at the same time.

“Yeah, it might’ve been the spaghetti. The several bowls of spaghetti. But I think I just need some time to rest.” Papyrus seemed crestfallen, but set the boy down without delay and followed him back into the room – chatting on about the next time he could visit, or if he was feeling under the weather that perhaps he would enjoy having someone make dinner for him.

As soon as they both were in the other room Sans took a deep breath.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, rubbing his spine gently through his jacket. His eyes were distant and filled with calculations.

“It’s a relief he’s leaving. One less factor to consider – and besides, at this point he’s just a hazard.”

“Uh. Yeah I guess so. I meant more with you – from your reaction you seem to have a specific awful scenario in mind. What’s going on? Just tell me.”

“I honestly don’t know, Frisk. It could be a lot of different things, it could be nothing. But in case it is the scenario I have in mind – it would be much safer not discussing it with you. Just trust me on this.”

You had trusted him so far, hadn’t you?

“Okay.” You weren’t happy but you decided to let it go for now. “So what do we do now? Just wait for something else to happen?” Sans broke from his distant stare and chuckled, apparently suddenly aware of how uncomfortable he had made you.

“I’m sorry. It might not be anything. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset –”

“No, no, don’t be brave. I understand this must be really difficult for you.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and maintained that god awful smirk of his. You giggled and tried to interrupt him.

“What the hell are you talking –”

“I would love to help you unwind with a jokes, but I’m afraid I’m just a terrible comedian.” You rolled your eyes as he took his hand out of his pockets and set them gently on your hips.

Oh lord – this again?

“I never said that.”

“You implied it.”

“Did I really actually bother you when I…..implied…..that?”

“Of course not. I don’t have feelings right? That’s what makes me such a poor comedian.” You groaned, trying to walk away from his pity party but he wrapped his arms around you and forced you into a hug. Laughing, you tried to pull away from him but he resisted.

“Now you don’t even want to hug me? I thought you loved me, Frisk.” You felt a thin, boney finger jab between your rib cage and you started to laugh as he tickled you. Helpless, you laughed uncontrollably as he held you tight.

“Oh sure, now you’re laughing, huh?” He stopped tickling you as both of your laughter slowly petered out – ending the moment feeling sensitive all over, held fast by him.

Was this his sly way of getting a hug because he was scared?

The thought hung gently in your mind as you embraced him and gave him a genuine hug. His laughter dropped off as you hugged you back – you could sense the nervousness just in how he held you.

A few moments passed and he didn’t drop his arms.

You gently raised your head and spoke softly to him.

“Everything is going to be okay. I promise. I’m not going anywhere, Papyrus isn’t going anywhere –”

“SANS! I’M GOING WITH KEVIN TO THE VILLAGE!” Papyrus and Kevin were walking quickly through the living room, already halfway out the door in a few strides. As soon as he processed it, Sans’ eye began to glow and in a flash he stopped them out in the hallway. Suddenly hugging nothing – you fell forward a bit before you caught yourself and you quickly walked over to the doorway.

“Papyrus you can’t go with him.”

“WHY NOT? HE NEEDS SOMEONE TO LOOK AFTER HIM.”

“He’ll find somebody else from the village to look after him, right Kevin?” Sans’ eye flashed briefly for a moment and Kevin’s face – still horrifically mutilated by the prior run in with Sans – paled.

“Um. I’ll be okay Papyrus, I’ll find somebody else. You guys are probably busy today – but I’ll….” He glanced at Sans nervously. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

The lanky skeleton glanced between his brother and his new friends anxiously, but eventually seemed to resign.

“WELL….OKAY KEVIN. BUT IF YOU NEED ANY HELP FROM YOUR BEST FRIEND PAPYRUS, I’M ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY!” His focus still on Sans, Kevin nodded distractedly and slipped past them in the hallway – anxiously hitting the elevator button. Relieved, Sans brought Papyrus back into the apartment, who immediately lectured him.

“SANS! THAT WAS EXTREMEMLY RUDE OF YOU –”

“Papyrus. His brother stabbed you. He kidnapped Frisk –”

“YOU MUTILATED HIS FACE –”

“Damn it! I was protecting you, Papyrus!”

The anger and the power with which Sans spoke silenced everyone for a moment. You had never heard Sans speak to his brother in that way.

Papyrus looked ashamed for a moment, almost like a child being chastised by a well-meaning parent. Sans sat down heavily on the couch and it was silent for a few moments. You felt very awkward and out of place – you backed into the kitchen and tried to stay silent.

Raising his head with a little more confidence, Papyrus stood up straight and responded.

“HIS BROTHER WAS ONLY PROTECTING HIM –”

“I don’t give a fuck about him, Papyrus!” Sans ran a hand over his skull and laughed a little incredulously, “Don’t you understand that by now? I let both of you” He gestured to you and you started to feel a little ashamed as well, “bring them into our home, and both times things began to unravel. I don’t want to force you both to stop being who you are but don’t seem to understand…there are people out there who are constantly, actively trying to kill us. Inviting them into our home? God damn it, you guys – do you want them to kill us?” Papyrus’ eyes were filling with tears but he seemed determined not to cry.

“Wait, I’m sorry Papyrus, I didn’t mean –” The lanky skeleton turned and walked swiftly into his room, gently shutting the door. Sans held his head back in his hands and groaned – angry with himself.

            Feeling a little stuck, you paused in the kitchen for a moment before walking through the living room to Papyrus’ door. You looked back at Sans – whose expression revealed his worry that you might be mad as well.

            “I….I understand, Sans. I’ll try to talk to him.”

            His expression didn’t change but he hung his head again, sighing heavily.

            Turning back to the door you knocked on it softly,

            “Papyrus….it’s Frisk. Is it okay if I come in?”

            There was a brief moment of silence before Papyrus opened the door for you. He had begun to clean his room after the sleepover/spaghetti/board game party the night before. He wiped a few tears from his eyes and brought you into a hug – lifting you off the ground and holding you tight.

            Your heart touched, you hugged him back – letting him set you down when he was ready instead of requesting it.

            He sat down on the bed, thinking for a moment as you sat in his desk chair. He wiped another tear and looked at the floor for a moment – speaking again in the quiet voice you so rarely heard.

            “I just wanted to help. I didn’t mean to disappoint Sans or put you in danger.”

            The smallness and fearful way he spoke brought your heart to ache and you couldn’t help but move beside him, trying as well as you could to put an arm around him.

            “Kevin isn’t a threat. I’ve spoken to him and he’s just scared and alone. All he’s ever wanted to do is please his brother, to make him happy.” Papyrus shared a small smile with you. “I just…I could relate to that feeling.” He didn’t speak for a little while and he picked up a piece from the board game, a baseball cap.

            “I know that Sans is right. He is. It was silly of me to bring him here so soon after everything happened. I just thought it might be nice to have somebody to talk to who….understands. Sans has you to understand him and I just….thought Kevin could be the same.” Papyrus sighed and set down the piece. “But now isn’t the right time to explore that. I should’ve realized that.” You gave him a bigger hug, realizing everyday that Papyrus was more mature and responsible than you had ever thought.

            “I’m here for you, Papyrus. If you ever need to talk or just want to play boardgames, I’m here for you. Undyne and Alphys are right down the hall, and this entire city is filled with monsters that would love to speak with you.”

            At this, Papyrus seemed to perk up.

            “YOU’RE RIGHT, FRISK! I HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO SPEAK TO OUR NEIGHBORS YET AND INTRODUCE MYSELF!”

            The light in his heart was back and he ripped off his clothes to reveal he was wearing his jogboy outfit underneath. Laughing at his sudden change in emotion, you gave him another hug.

            “THANK YOU!” With this he slammed open the door and leaped into the living room to lift up and hug his brother. Caught surprised, Sans looked back at you incredulously and you shrugged.

            “I’M SORRY TO CONCERN YOU, SANS. I KNOW YOU ARE JUST LOOKING OUT FOR ME.”

            “Wow uh…that was fast.”

            “FRISK IS AN EXCELLENT LISTENER! I CAN SEE WHY YOU HAVE SEX SO OFTEN!” Sans’ face burnt blue as Papyrus sat him down.

            “BUT NOW I’M OFF FOR A HEALTHY DOSE OF EXCERISE AND HOPEFULLY MAKING A FEW HUNDRED NEW BEST FRIENDS!” With that he bolted out the door and started knocking on every door on the hall, introducing himself loudly. Sans seemed a little stunned as you shut the door and sat next to him on the couch.

            “I’ve never seen him come around that quickly before.” You put a hand over his and gave him a smile.

            “He’s a lot more understanding than you’d think. I didn’t really even say anything.”

            This didn’t seem to reassure Sans, but you brought his eyes to yours.

            “Come on. This has been a stressful morning. Let’s just go for a walk, take your mind off things for a little while.”  He gave you a small smile and put his arm around you, kissing the top of your head.

            “Okay. But let’s wait a little while. If we leave right now Papyrus will make us go jogging with him.” You giggled and kissed him, feeling the small zap of electricity shudder through your lips.

            “I’m in no hurry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A flash of pity flushed through Gaster’s expression as he rose his hand.

            “No.

             When one dies completely, their soul falls.”

            He motioned to the darkness oozing beneath them.

            “It is the border that separates the living from the dead.”

            Considering this, Danny felt his hopes start to slide around him.

            “If we can’t be with the people we love – living or dead, why even bother? Why not just sink into the darkness and end it all?” The specter paused for a moment before responding.

            “Why not, indeed.”

            Feeling desperate, Danny retreated into his own thoughts for a moment, letting the idea bounce around until it settled plainly.

It was his only option. 

Looking down into the darkness below him, he pictured Frisk beneath somehow – waiting for him.

Before he could entertain another thought, a rapid procession of bells clanging filled the air as the massive spirit flew by him in a gust of wind.

Confused more than alarmed, he watched the blur of black head for the flower bed.

Kevin?

            Danny followed quickly after him and watched as the gigantic phantom carefully picked up the orb, looking distressed as he noticed a rather large crack on the side.

            “What does it mean?”

Gaster ignored him.

The ghastly figure examined the soul closer, mumbling something as the sound of faint bells rang gently. The moment of realization hit him and he closed his eyes almost as if he was in pain.

            Danny stood watching him uneasily, waiting for his response.

            After a few moments of collecting his thoughts, Gaster rose his hand somberly.

            “What has happened to you,

              Is now happening to your brother.” 

            Unable to speak, the young human sat down and felt the guilt flush over him. Behind him, the experienced specter considered his options.

            He had a unique opportunity to finally silence the restless spirit.

            The evil creature was weak now, slowly leeching off the boy…

            He had enough time to gain the upper hand and end it forever.

            But the methods of accomplishing such a deed were…..unsavory.

            It would require a certain amount of discomfort.

            Gaster felt the cracked lines in the orb, letting the memories of his past failures rise in his mind.

            Sans wasn’t going to be happy.

            But it had to be done.


	37. A Pleasure to Meet You

Just moments after Papyrus left on his friend-seeking adventure, you both heard a frantic knocking at the door. After exchanging a confused look between the two of you, Sans stood up and after a moment of hesitation opened the door. Alphys stumbled in, apparently surprised at the sudden opening. Relieved, Sans smiled and shut the door, sticking his hands in his pockets and leaning against the side of the couch.

“Is everything okay Alphys?” You asked nervously, patting the spot beside you on the couch. Pushing her glasses up and shyly sitting down at the couch, she nodded.

“Y-yes I’m fine, Frisk – I’m just so excited!” She was trembling visibly with excitement. A newspaper was clenched fiercely in her claws, a picture of Undyne and three other monsters you didn’t recognize were pictured under the headline. “After years of campaigning from the Underground, I finally got the council to pass a change in the cities boundaries!”  From her expression and involuntary squeal afterwards you assumed you were supposed to be excited. You faked enthusiasm and glanced briefly at Sans who shrugged.

“Oh….that’s….great!” You were very unconvincing. Alphys blushed a little and adjusted her lab coat, looking uncomfortable.

A few moments passed as she avoided contact with the both of you and Sans stared at the ceiling looking at nothing. She cleared her throat and adjusted herself again, laughing softly.

“I-I’m sorry, I guess you guys aren’t involved as politically as I am. You know about the border to get into the city right? The selective magic to separate humans and monsters –” She stopped for a moment, “Oh well of course you do. How else would you be here? Um…anyways, after people started burying their ancestors on the surface and those trees started developing along the border, we realized this might become a problem, or at the very least make the border terribly ineffective.”

She took a deep breath and continued talking.

“Worried of the implications of this, I started campaigning immediately from Underground – mostly on my blog and on a few forums, where I met this AMAZING couple and we’ve actually gotten to see them on the surface! It’s been so exciting-” Realizing she had gotten off track she laughed nervously and pushed her glasses up again. “Oh, but anyways, the council finally approved it a few days ago and they’re holding elections for a security team to secure the border actively and clear humans as they enter and leave the city! And Undyne is in the lead for head of security!” Understanding the excitement now, you were able to get on board.

“That’s amazing! Is it too late to vote?” Alphys perked up and pulled out her phone, handing it to you.

“That’s exactly what I came over to ask! They have everyone registered through their phone numbers and the voting ends in a few hours! I was just wondering if…..maybe….” You gave her a hug and handed her back her phone.

“Of course we’ll help!” You hopped up from the couch and ducked into Sans room for a second, grabbing your phones.

Alphys stood up from the couch, the newspaper clenched so tight you felt it might rip at any moment. She gave you a hug and then waved to Sans as she headed out the door. Her face was so bright and full of happiness….it felt good to see she was adapting well to the surface.

After logging into the interface and clicking on Undyne’s icon, a picture of her suplexing Papyrus and Alphys, you set your phones back on the table and Sans sat next to you on the couch.

“Huh.” He thought for a few moments, a smile creeping over his face. “How much do you wanna bet Papyrus is going to beg Undyne to join?” You laughed and put an arm around him, glancing around the apartment – feeling much more relaxed than earlier.

Sans smiled, the same thought seeming to have crossed this mind as well.

“Do you want to go for that walk now?” He smiled and pulled you closer to him.

“Yeah! Just let me change really quick.”

“Can I watch?”

You shot him a look and he stared back at you with a smug look. Before his expression could make you smile you shut the door on him, changing quickly into more appropriate jeans and t-shirt.

 

As soon as the two of you left the apartment building, Sans stopped to think for a moment. A gentle breeze fluttered your hair around your face and you brushed it aside gently, watching him.

“Is everything okay?” He looked up at you, smiling.

“Yea….I just thought of something…. do you think it would be okay if we checked out those apple trees?” You stuck your hands in your pocket, half wishing you had thought to bring a jacket.

“Sure, that’s fine with me. Why?”

You both started heading towards the border of the city. He was silent for a moment before he gently grabbed your hand and responded.

“They had almost slipped my mind until Alphys brought them up…I just figured….just in case there was something more to the sensation we felt this morning…. I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about it.”

Thinking carefully as your shoes crunched on the gravel path towards the border you considered this.

“What are you going to do about it? Are you going to…burn them?” Sans sighed and looked at you, his face serene but contemplative.

“I might have to. They’re too dangerous to just keep around. We could ask the families that planted them to move them somewhere within the city but that could take too long….and even then, humans can still take them once they’re inside.”

You nodded in agreement and massaged his hand gently to comfort him, his cool smooth fingers starting to warm at your touch.

            As you reached the border, a familiar problem arose in your mind.

            “Damn it. How am I supposed to pass through?” You noticed that there was a basket of apples for visitors to take, conveniently on the other side. Sans noticed this as well.

            “I guess humans don’t usually stay for longer than a day here. It still seems like kind of a lack of foresight though….”

            “Well, one Undyne starts guarding the border the process is going to be a hell of a lot harder than eating an apple.” You both laughed considering the idea until Sans stopped, having had an idea.

            He stepped on the other side of the border and then extended his hand.

            “I can’t just touch you and pass through, it doesn’t work like that.” He chuckled and insisted, stepping a little closer – mischievousness in his eyes. You nervously took a deep breath, recognizing that look.

            “Oh boy…”

You winced, reaching your hand out to his when suddenly a flush of magic and waves coursed through your body. Your hand almost instantly went numb as you recognized his eye flashing that glorious shade of blue as the sensations tingled everywhere.

You tried to walk over the border but found your legs had turned to jelly in the moment. Sans’ power continued to confuse and amaze you. Through the roaring in your ears you could hear the faintest sounds of laughter and an odd chiming of bells.

And then suddenly everything was normal.

You were on the other side of the border, your face flushed with passion – held securely in Sans’ arms. As your sense of sound returned his laughter grew louder until you heard him trail off, looking down at you.

“You okay?”

You coughed softly, a little disorientated.

“No. I’m dying. I need CPR. Help me.”

You looked up at him as sweetly as you could and tugged on his jacket. He indulged in a small smile before kissing you softly, the sparks zipping along as the other magic left your body.

As he helped you up, your legs wobbly and weak – you imagined the sensation over your body again and again until he spoke.

“So uh. It’s a shame they’re taking that border down, huh?”

You chuckled, stumbling a little as he helped you regain balance.

“It’s a damn shame. But oh well. I guess we don’t need a border to do that, do we?” He smiled both to you and to himself.

“I guess not.” After a little while, you got the use back in your legs and you both followed the tree line until you came across a grove of a few of the trees you had seen before.

“Is this the right place?” You asked a little nervously, noticing he had tensed up.

Sans dropped his arm from your side and walked forward – the smile draining from his face as he realized the scene before him.

Shaken, he looked back at you with fear.

Every single tree had been picked bare.

 

 

Knowing his time was precious, Gaster made up his mind and swiftly handed the orb back to Danny, who was sitting uneasily on the bank of the flower bed. He took the orb willingly but was clearly distraught.

“I don’t understand, what’s going to happen?” Gaster paced impatiently, bells clanging as the text appeared and Danny translated.

“Stay here with the boy.

Assume him if you must.

Delay the evil as long as you can.”

Terrified and confused, Danny was about to raise another question before Gaster quickly took off into the other direction, green sparks flying around him.

Reaching the soft blue orb, Gaster felt a piece of his soul itch, just thinking about what he was going to do. He reached out hesitantly to the orb, cracked in so many places – chipped in others – but stopped when he noticed it had begun to glow brighter and brighter.

Allowing himself a brief look, he glanced in and saw Sans, coursing his magic through that same human girl. He never understood why Sans spent so much time with that damn girl, but clearly she was important to him.

The moment passed and the orb began to fade back to its soft hum, and again Gaster hesitated. The last time he had attempted, Sans hadn’t been quite so….receptive. He ran a mutilated finger over a large chunk missing from the sphere.

He had to.

It was a prime opportunity.

Adjusting his mindset, he concentrated his energy and with an echoing crack, he forced himself inside.  

 

 

            You stepped closer to Sans, a worry starting to grow within you as well.

            “What….does it mean exactly?”

You could see Sans trying to step back to process this, but the panic in his eyes from earlier was back.

“I suppose the council might’ve taken them all out of safety…” He leaned against the tree and tapped his fingers anxiously against it. “But then why leave the ones in the basket? And they have no reason to be suspicious….” He seemed to make up his mind. “We have to assume the worst…” He glanced around above him, sweat starting to form on his brow. “And damn if it isn’t the worst.”

You felt a chill rush through you as goose bumps rose on your skin.

“What do we do? What can we do?”

“I mean we must just have to –”

He paused for a moment, clearing his throat and stepping forward a little from the tree.

“We just have to….”

“Sans….are you okay?”

He shot you nervous smile and stood forward, his eyes flickering around – checking the air above him as if he was looking desperately for something.

“We…”

His chest started to inflate and deflate rapidly as Sans appeared to be struggling breathing.

“What’s happening, are you okay?” You stepped forward, your heart starting to beat faster watching his condition escalate.

 His hands flew to his head as he fell to his knees, his eyes locked on you desperately.

“Sans!”

Terrified you ran to him, but he rose a hand and with a sharp knock of air you flew back and smashed into a tree. With the wind knocked out of you, but no other injuries you looked up – panicked as you tried to regain your breath.

“Frisk….Run…. Get Papyrus…. I…” He struggled breathing again.

One hand fell to the ground and he clenched a shaky fist full of leaves, the other clutched his head – his expression one of terrible pain.

“It’s happening again. I can’t…..I can’t….I…”

He screamed, falling over in immense pain as he fought whatever was consuming him. You tried to will yourself to stand, to run, to find Papyrus but the sight was horrific and hypnotizing. You feared for his life and for your own.

He screamed louder and louder until his voice cracked and suddenly he stopped.

A few moments passed as he laid silently on the ground, your heart slamming inside of your chest. You tried to stand but your legs were weak from fear, and your lungs still hadn’t recovered.

The silence was agonizing, and from your position you couldn’t tell of his condition.

Nervously, you called out.

“Sans?” You coughed, the toll of speaking was harsh on your chest.

There was no response. You breathed heavily, holding onto a low branch of the tree to pull yourself up.

“S-sans?”

Again, no response.

The leaves drifted lazily with the breeze, and you could hear birds chirping in the distance.

Your heart seized by fear and anxiety, you stumbled closer to him – noticing his hands were clenching and unclenching, his chest was rising and lowering – as if he had never been in his own body before.

Flashbacks shot through your mind of the nightmares you used to have.

That Sans would attack you.

That he would try to kill you.

You stood frozen to the spot as you fought through these fears.

He needed your help.

Willing yourself to move, you stepped forward once more, crouching gently beside him – your hand hesitantly hovering over his chest.

“Sans….are you okay?”

He opened his eyes and instead of the small pinpricks of white you had come to love, a pair of glowing green eyes with a black center flashed back at you.

Surprised, you fell back, your heart pumping heavily and your mind racing. Sans sat up slowly, stretching his arms and his back – observing you with an amused expression on his face – yet it was twisted, unlike any expression you had ever seen him make before.

For a moment the leaves consumed the silence, rustling gently all around the two of you – until eventually he spoke.

His voice was rough and deep, it cut through your mind like a knife.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Frisk.”


	38. A Chance to Be Something Greater

As soon as Frisk had shut the door to the apartment, Papyrus immediately stopped loudly knocking on the doors of everyone in the hall. Walking briskly to the elevator, he pressed the main floor and allowed himself to think everything over.

            He felt guilty for deceiving his brother and Frisk – but they weren’t in his position to understand Kevin.

            The boy had shared things with him like nobody else had.

            Kevin had opened up to him, trusted him.

            The distraught human had looked at him like nobody had before – like he was smart and important.

            As the elevator opened up, Papyrus walked through the lobby and out onto the street – feeling nervous.

            Sans had just been trying to protect him. He understood that.

            Yet a deeper part of him was restless.

He didn’t like being treated like a child, so fragile that any tiny disruption might upset him. It was true that he didn’t understand much of what Frisk and Sans discussed – and some of the activities they engaged in were puzzling, but that didn’t justify leaving him out entirely.

            He wanted to prove to his brother that he could take care of himself. That for once, he was right in his intuition.

That he wasn’t just simple, innocent, Papyrus.

            He was meant for something more – to be someone more.

            Pausing for a moment in front of the border, he zoned out – gazing into the forest ahead of him, rustling gently with the morning breeze.

            He pictured Kevin in the karaoke bar, wiping away a few tears and thanking him for listening.

            “I don’t know why you care so much about me – after everything I’ve done to you and your friends, you should hate me.”

Papyrus had put an arm around Kevin and spoke sincerely.

            “But you are my friend. And I forgive you.”  

            And he could never abandon a friend.

            Reaffirmed with his decision, Papyrus stepped through the border and started his trek through the forest.

            Kevin was good.

            Deep down nothing could change that.  

 

Sans stood up, surveying the area around him with sharp, calculated movements. His eyes were squinted and he hummed quietly to himself. He didn’t seem concerned at all that you hadn’t responded to his statement – in fact he didn’t seem to care.

            After watching him for a few moments you stood carefully, backing a little away from him just to be sure.

            “The surface is far different than I predicted. Of course I’ve seen it in shades – multitudes of monochrome but I’ve never seen it quite like this…” He stepped forward, seemingly startled and intrigued by the crunching of the leaves and the movements of his legs. “Been quite a while since I’ve felt that sensation. Forward momentum. Actually moving through an area physically and not just splicing through time and space.”

            He analyzed his new body and glanced back at you, chuckling slightly - seeming to only now be addressing you.

            “Has Sans always been this tiny?" He moved his legs stiffly. "I must've forgotten. It’s quite ridiculous.”

            His eyes blended a sharp green and blue for a moment, before the deep, rough voice chuckled in an odd, scholarly manner.

            “Alright, calm down.” His laughter faded away as his voice grew plain and his expression leveled out. “There is work to be done.” Turning back to you he spoke with authority.

            “Human girl, Frisk, where is the thin blonde boy, Kevin? I believe that’s what his name was.”

            Terrified – and still confused, you didn’t speak.

            There was a moment of silence before he sighed.

            He stepped closer, holding a finger to his temple.

            “Look. I really don’t have the time to explain everything – although I’m sure you’re confused. Sans is safe. I’m only using his body and his power to silence a higher struggle. I believe you’ve been…acquainted with the spirit. Chara? Yes?” Before you could nod he continued, “Another possession is underway. So, now – where is he?”

            You wanted to help – but you were hesitant.

            You didn’t know who was controlling Sans and you didn’t know their intentions.

            Sans had wanted you to run, to get Papyrus…

            He stepped a little closer, his expression growing tight and impatient.

            “Whatever you’re considering is not worth the time you’re taking to consider it. Just tell me where he is.”

            Sans’ last words echoing in your mind you took off into the forest as fast as you could, your mind flying with concerns and worries.

            Where could you possibly find Papyrus?

            How would you get back into the border?

            In a flash you remembered the basket of apples, and ran harder – you just needed to find Papyrus and maybe he’ll –

            Suddenly you hit a green wall of energy and fell back on the floor of the forest. Aching, but determined to stay vigilant, you turned around to see Sans – or whoever it was – looking rather annoyed with their arms crossed.

            “I’m getting quite tired of your senseless ignorance, child. I don’t think you understand that you’re preventing the only circumstance that could help you in the near future. If you’re concerned about the boy – know that he was already deeply depressed. He’s weak enough as it is and Chara has probably already been widely successful in leeching his energy. The only course of action is to dissolve what’s left and at least finally rid our universe of this damn parasite.”

            “You’re going to kill him?” Worried, you glanced quickly around you, although you knew you couldn’t run for it again. The pseudo-Sans groaned with frustration.

            “Don’t pretend like you actually care about this boy. Sans had been planning to kill him anyway – this at least gives it circular justification.”

            Still confused about the entire situation, you just looked back up at him – your heart pounding and your eyes wide with concern.

            He sighed again and shook his head, speaking aside as if to himself.

            “I’m sorry Sans, I can’t justify this any longer. I’m running out of time.”

With a swift motion you felt a horrific sensation of slime crawling over your skin as you realized his magic was covering your body. In less than a few moments it was enveloped with his a bright green glow. He closed his eyes and raised his hand. Suddenly it felt like your world was on fire, every memory from your mind started to erupt in an explosion of information. You could feel your entire self being ripped away from you, and although it was mental – it was more painful than anything you had ever experienced. You began to scream, when suddenly it stopped and you had dropped to the ground.

            Catching your breath and steadying yourself from the massive migraine that was piercing your mind, you looked up to see Sans’ – his eyes white and filled with concern. He rushed over to you, picking you up in his arms. Sans pressed you tight against him, cradling your head and taking a deep breath – trying to think critically.

            “He’s going to come back. He’s stronger than me Frisk, far stronger…..” He pressed you tighter and kissed your forehead, his arms shaking. “You need to find Papyrus and tell him what happened. Find Papyrus and tell him that Gaster is back.”  You turned to hold his face in yours, hoping he could tell you anything about what was happening.

            “Sans – I don’t understand! Who is Gaster? Why is he doing this to you?” He shook his head, his chest heaving again.

            “There’s no time. You need to run, now – before he comes back.” He kissed you deeply, his hands and now his entire body shaking as he fought the transition. Standing up shakily, you took off towards town again. Once you had gotten a far distance away you glanced back briefly to see Sans leaning weakly against a tree – watching you retreat. Turning back around you ran until you finally reached the clearing. You spotted the basket and slowed as you approached it.

            Paranoid you turned all around you – worried that at many moment Chara or Gaster or something would be after you.

            It seemed for the moment you were safe.

            Standing in front of the border, you looked down at the basket – filled to brim with full rubious apples.

            You were tired of feeling like the weak link.

            If something was going to happen soon – you wanted to be able to defend yourself.

            For once – you desired that power more than anything else.

            And finally you had the opportunity to make it count.


	39. Having Fun

Stumbling in the woods, Kevin took a deep breath and leaned against a tree – sweating profusely, his headache was growing into a deeper pain. He felt as if his vision was spinning as he stepped forward, every step crunching leaves beneath him that echoed loudly in his ears. The colors blended together until they became vast and empty. A sea of darkness.

            He saw them.

            Papyrus, Sans, Frisk.

            He saw them in this space, so empty, their eyes glinting as they pulled his brother out from behind them.

            Body shaking, he watched as Papyrus pinned Danny down on the floor. Sans’ wicked eye began to glow, his other disappearing as Frisk pulled a slick, sharpened knife from behind her back.

 

 

            He felt a cold pressure on his face and he pushed away from it.

            He was still in the woods, laying down on the ground – face deep in the dirt. Heart pumping heavily he stood up, his head feeling much clearer. Brushing the dust off of himself he readjusted his clothes and started heading off towards the village much faster. There was something wrong with him. He was losing his mind.

            This morning, the kitchen…..he had suddenly felt the sensation of being choked, he lost all sensation of his body.

            He had seen his brother die again and again every time he blinked.

            Shaking his head, clearing the images from his mind he picked up his pace and started to run. There was something wrong with him.

The images pushed back into his mind, flooding his thoughts with blood.

            Blood dripping from a skeleton’s hands.

            Blood dripping from a knife.

            He stopped in his tracks.

            What if they lied to him? Like a fool he believed them.

There had been no force of evil, no possession.

They were ruthless.

They murdered his brother for intervening and now they were going to do the same to him.

            All the things Papyrus said?

            Lies. Sick lies to twist him into believing them. Allowing him to become vulnerable so they can finally finish the job.

 

            He tried to keep walking, horrified at how his body refused to listen to his commands.

            No, Papyrus wouldn’t lie to him.

            He could sense something had been wrong with Danny.

He knew it was true.

            Like something was happening to him now.

            The very thought surrounded and started to squeeze around his mind, feeling at any moment that it might pop. Suddenly a voice cut from the silence, emerging from his lips but sounding all too much like audible smoke.

            “Listen. You’re done for anyway. You think they would leave you alive after everything you’ve done? Have you looked in the mirror lately?” His hands drew instinctively to his scars.  

“Any day now Sans is going to knock down your door and finish the job. Your existence is a time bomb.”

            Kevin knelt down on the ground, shaking, trying to contain these thoughts as if enduring intense stomach pains.

            “You only have one purpose in this world. Avenge your brother. Finish the job he started.”

            Suddenly Kevin felt a warm, fluid rise from the ground beneath him. His pants were coated in blood, his arms had been dipped and were dripping. He rose up, fearful as the height increased, flooding the forest around him with thick, crimson blood, crawling up the trees and dripping from the branches into the growing swamp.

            “How can you even live with yourself? The brother you would do anything for….you’d betray him so easily?”

Kevin felt a surge of anger rise within him and he clenched his eyes tight, trying to cleanse his mind from this poisonous thought.

            The crimson swamp had disappeared and the forest was as silent and peaceful as ever.

            Glancing down at his hands and pants, he noticed the blood was still coated on him – dripping quietly onto the leaves.

            There was a few moments of silence while he felt his senses recover. A few birds passed overhead, chirping pleasantly. He ran a hand through his hair, his chest restricted and his mind racing.

            What the hell was happening to him?

Unsure of what was happening, but feeling less and less stable with every passing moment, Kevin kept on through the forest uninterrupted by his thoughts.

For the remainder of the walk, he had felt as if his body was bound by cellophane. Every movement was strict and taut, his chest would only rise so far and his legs would only step a certain distance.

His freedom was slipping away from him and he could feel it.

It was happening.

The virus that had infected his brother, it had spread to him.

Reaching the end of the forest line, his village within sight – he tried to abstain from indulging in these thoughts, in case the virus had access to them. But how do you keep thoughts secret from your own mind?

A sinister giggle rippled through his mind, high pitched like a child but far more demented.

“You can’t.”

 

            Frozen in his spot, Kevin felt the panic rise as he found he couldn’t move a single part of him.

            “There’s something so fascinating about hope.” The little voice in his head pierced painfully shrill as his legs and arms began to move without his influence.

            To his absolute horror and dismay, Kevin found himself turning away from the village and walking back into the woods. His heart was no longer racing and he couldn’t sense any part of him but his own thoughts.

            “It’s interesting enough to draw blood, and even more so to inflict pain….but to allow hope to seep into someone’s mind, allow them to build themselves back up, watch the inspiration and confidence rise just to take it all away….there is something so deeply satisfying about crushing someone absolutely. Mind, body, and spirit.”

            Kevin couldn’t speak, even if he could he wouldn’t want to.

            He was afraid to give anything more to this insatiable beast.

            There were a few moments of unsettling silence as Kevin would occasionally receive sensations just to feel them being snatched back away.

The way he walked felt so much more intimidating, the brief moments he could feel them he felt taller and more confident.

His eyes darted around, observing a variety of things Kevin had never considered before. Wind speed by the degree trees and branches bent, animals racing about in the trees, sun placement, fallen trees and piles of leaves that could house snakes or other undesirables.

His hands were constantly curling and uncurling into fists, his face twitching – shifting facial expressions in a rapid and experimental manner.

Kevin wanted to fight back, but he felt hopeless. He was no longer a person, just a series of floating thoughts in his own mind. He couldn’t feel or act – he could only watch as his body arrived in apple grove.

Instantly realizing what his arrival meant, he tried to regain control with even more desperation but it was like attempting to scale a wall made out of smooth glass. There was nothing to hold onto, nothing to pull himself up.

Without pausing, his body walked over to the first tree and reached up on the lower branch, weakly pulling it down to remove a single apple. Biting into it furiously, Kevin felt the space around him flare with heat for a moment – leaving a sensation like a slight burn on himself.

The apple was nothing but a core, to which the possessed body tossed far back into the woods behind him. Letting the power course through for a moment, the beast continued, climbing into the tree and devouring apple after apple in a vicious hunger.

Kevin had started to regain sensation in his body but to his dismay he couldn’t influence it.

His stomach was far over full and he could feel the strain as the magic and power flushed through his veins.

He kept eating.

Core after core fell to the ground or was thrown forcefully behind him.

His stomach was erupting from pain and Kevin willed himself to cease eating but nothing could stop it. The appetite from the spirit possessing him only grew as it began devouring full cores and repeatedly bit his tongue, cheek or lips. Eventually, when the tree was barren of apples and blood was dripping from his mouth, he felt the heat rise to a staggering temperature – like he was standing in the center of a raging forest fire.

His body dropped to the ground, landing tactfully and rising with grace.

His eyes darted around maniacally.

A horrific shriek was released from his body, and if Kevin could move or act at all he would’ve quaked in fear.

The shriek petered out into a gentle laugh as a circle of red and black glowing magic erupted from his hands.

“You are far stronger than your brother was.”

Terrified and desperate, Kevin felt his heart twinge at the mention.

“Your soul is so open and spacious. So much power to furnace.” An uncomfortable wriggling sensation spread over his body as the voice spoke and Kevin tried to think of any way to combat the events he knew were to follow.

Sans would protect Frisk and Papyrus.

Sans would kill him….but perhaps it was his time anyway.

This was his destiny.

To die and be with Danny.

Sans would protect them.

As the magic swirled around him and the ghostly demon who possessed his body practiced the limits of his new powers, Kevin resigned quietly to his destiny.

He only wished to die so he never had to see the events unfolding in front of him.

All the magic faded instantly as that sickening voice crept out from his lips, echoing in the space around them.

“Oh come now. What’s the fun in that?”

 

In an eruption of red and black magic, Kevin found himself in another part of the woods.

Confused, Kevin hesitated – realizing he had control over his own body once again. He stepped forward, his body feeling heavy and weak – the muscles over used and his arms shaking.

Brushing aside a thick branch, Kevin felt the demon soul squirm around inside of him unpleasantly, waiting for it to regain control.

It was holding back.

Why?

He pushed through a thicker brush and found himself in a clearer portion of the forest. Again, he glanced around pointlessly, his sanity slipping as he suddenly fixated on a flash of white.

He paused again, waiting for the spirit to resume control in a horrific manner but it held back.

Uneasily, Kevin stepped forward quietly, squinting to see off in the distance at what the movement was.

Stepping behind from a group of trees Kevin felt a freezing chill spread through his spine.

It was Papyrus.

Walking alone in the woods, headed for the village.

As the realization sprung on him, Kevin turned to run as far away from him as he could – to scream and warn him, but he was too late.

He was pushed back inside his own head once again as a dark feeling spread through him, his eyes locking onto the lanky skeleton.

The heat engorged as he felt the magic rise through his veins and climax within his mind.

Screaming inside his own head, he cried out for help desperately, able to feel the intentions of this demon – feeding him images of Papyrus’ fate to come.

He screamed for help, from anyone or anything.

But nobody came.


	40. The Calm

Feeling the shift in power rise over him, Sans doubled over - leaning against a tree as he watched Frisk run off into the distance.

            Safe.

            She was safe.

            For now.

            Sliding to the ground, he let his strength go as the rush of magic and power overcame his body.

 

            Gaster rose from the ground, irritated albeit impressed by Sans’ power.

The girl was already gone, but Sans had surrendered his subconscious. Adjusting to his smaller body, Gaster took a deep breath and filtered through the memories.

            He saw the village.

            He could faintly gather a direction in which to head.

            Time was slipping and the ignorant child had set his advantage back considerably - but there was still time.

            Letting his magic and power course through his small body, he tried forcing Sans to elicit his power as well – yet the subdued skeleton resisted.

            He had no time for this.

            Identifying the direction he needed to head, he started off – teleporting equidistance until he arrived at the edge of the village. There was a concentration of energy so large Gaster could feel his very soul being pushed back into the darkness, but he resisted.

            “Sans. I need your magic.”

He spoke firmly, tapping his foot impatiently. “I can tell you’re holding back.”

Inside his mind there was silence.

 

Sans had been through this experience – possession by Gaster – hundreds of times across multiple timelines and yet this situation unsettled him in a way none of the others had.

There was an underlying fear within the spirit - and Sans could sense it.

Something urgent.

He was reluctant to trust blindly, for although Gaster had wisdom and knowledge far beyond what Sans could comprehend, he knew from experience that this wisdom was sacrificed for a sense of morality.

Yet Gaster wouldn’t interfere without a pretense – he wasn’t a creature of impulse.

He thought of the missing apples.

Papyrus.

Frisk.

Both alone, although hopefully safe within the city limits.

Letting the flame within himself flicker privately for just a single moment more, he let his boundaries unravel as his soul and Gaster’s bonded through an eruption of cobalt and emerald magic.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Kevin’s turmoil spiraled within his own mind as his eyes remained locked on the lanky skeleton, who was carefully stepping through the leaves and fallen branches like a gentle deer.

He felt his body move without him, the demon staying low and quiet – his mind filling with grotesque images of hunted animals. This precision was not his own. Every step was calculated in a muscle memory he had never developed.

“Do you understand now?” The smoky voice whispered without taking his eyes off Papyrus or ceasing in his pursuit. “I want you to appreciate this. There is a subtle pleasure in having everything you love ripped away from you. It leaves you free to pursue the one absolute. Power.”

 

Ahead, Papyrus stopped for a moment, standing stiffly.

 

Kevin held his breath and silently crouched to hide behind a rose bush. The skeleton turned, a sense of uneasiness across his face. He examined the scene for a few moments, and upon seeing nothing of interest, his trademark smile returned as he continued forward.

“All these elements of life that you creatures believe to be important are just distractions. Every high point in your life will be overshadowed by a tragedy. Every moment of joy or love will be smashed with the reality of it all – nothing and nobody will love you forever. Minds are manipulated, they change. Your loved ones will die and leave you. You were born alone and you live alone in your own little personal hell.”

The smoky voice paused as his body slid ahead into a small field of brush and thick trees.

Kevin was within ten feet of Papyrus now.

“Nothing can save you from that except pure, unbridled power.”

With that he ceased speaking, somehow able to maneuver through the crunchy leaves and obstructive branches without making a sound.

He was uncomfortably close now, if he were to stretch his arm he could touch Papyrus.

 

Kevin’s thoughts were racing, tumbling over each other.

In a last moment act of desperation he concentrated as hard as he could to push himself out of this prison, clearing his mind of every doubt and fear – letting the kindness Papyrus had shown him wash over him and fill him with confidence.

He had no time to wallow in self-pity or confusion.

For the first time in his life he was able to look beyond himself, beyond his own thoughts and feelings and realize a greater sacrifice.

Resisting the tight bonds that held him from controlling his own body, he struggled valiantly, his determination shining brighter and brighter until finally – for a split second – he found himself stepping back from his skeleton friend.

The glorious accomplishment only lasted a moment before he was thrust back into his own head, feeling the rage of the spirit in control.

He could feel the heat and power of all the magic pressing on his soul but a realization occurred to him – the demon could not kill him.

Despite all the pain and torture this beast could inflict, it could not end his life alone.

Forcing all of his inhibitions aside he concentrated again, summoning all the power he could to bring him away from Papyrus.

Straining so hard, he felt the fabric of his being start to fray against the fury of the spirit and yet he persisted.

In a flash of red and black he was standing at the edge of the village.

A few moments passed and he found he could neither move nor feel the presence of another soul.

Fear flushed over him again, his emotions returning as he considered that the demon would just leave him, paralyzed forever – trapped inside his own body.

Five minutes or so passed before he felt the evil arouse within his mind.

“Fine. You want to prolong his suffering?” His body started walking towards the village, stepping with purpose towards Kevin’s house. “We’ll wait until he finds you. And then I’ll let you kill him yourself.”

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Papyrus stepped through a thicker brush of the forest, finally reaching where the forest started to clear out. There was something so much different about trees aboveground than below – they were so much stronger and larger than he had ever imagined.

Recognizing the shape of houses emerging in the distance through the trees, Papyrus felt a little nervous. Perhaps Kevin didn’t truly want his help. The human might fear speaking to him after how rough Sans had been with him that morning.

No, Kevin had to know The Great Papyrus would never abandon him.

He had seen a deep misery in those eyes.

If he didn’t help him through this difficult time, he sensed something horrible might happen.

Stepping out into the clearing, he paused for a moment, unsure of which house he was looking for. Standing awkwardly for a moment, he examined each house from his distance and found none of them seemed particularly familiar.

Glanced over in the field by the village, he noticed two little girls – who couldn’t have been older than 6 years old - running around, fighting with plastic swords and wearing pirate hats.

“EXCUSE ME, WARRIORS – DO YOU KNOW WHERE A HUMAN NAMED KEVIN LIVES?” He walked over to them and they ceased their battle for a moment. The smallest girl, with short black hair, flipped up her eyepatch and lowered her sword.

“Hi Mr. Skeleton. What does he look like?”

Papyrus walked over and squatted to match their height, going into great detail about the clothes Kevin was wearing and his hair color. The other girl, with light brown hair done into pigtails, couldn’t keep still and pulled her pirate hat down past her face. As Papyrus was describing how Kevin spoke, the girl spoke – her voice muffled by the hat.

“Oh! Does he have a bunch of gross, crusty scars on his face?”

Papyrus hopped up in victory, shouting to the sky.

“YES! THE CRUSTIEST!”

“I know where he lives!” The pigtailed girl sprang up, but unable to pull the hat off her head, she fell backwards. Papyrus brought her to her feet and lifted off the hat.

“CAN YOU SHOW ME?”

The girls nodded and they started walking to the village. The smaller one looked up at Papyrus with a shy smile as the pigtailed girl ran ahead of them, so excited to help.

“Most monsters kind of scare me, but you seem really nice.”

“THANK YOU! BUT I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR BECAUSE I’M ACTUALLY QUITE TERRIFYING! PERHAPS YOU NEED GLASSES….. HM.” Papyrus paused for a moment, considering that he might need to update his battle body to continue his reputation of being fiercely intimidating. In any case, this little girl seemed to understand the art of war.

“WHAT IS YOUR NAME TINY ONE?”

“Jun.” She pointed to the girl ahead of them, who had stopped and was waiting for them to catch up. “That’s Jordan, she’s not scared of anything.”

“AH! I HAVE A FRIEND, UNDYNE WHO IS JUST THE SAME. PERHAPS WE SHOULD ALL SPARR SOMETIME!” When the two arrived in the center of town, Jordan pointed happily to a house on the end.

“He lives in that house! He just got home a few minutes ago. We asked if he had any scarfs we could borrow, yknow like pirates have! But I guess he didn’t hear us because he just kept walking.” Papyrus nodded, thanking the girls. He was about to walk away but turned back, taking his scarf off from underneath his JogBoy clothes.

“Here! You can borrow mine until I finish visiting with Kevin.” He handed the scarf to Jun and she held it delicately, looking up at Papyrus with starry eyes.

“….Thank you so much, we’ll take care of it.” Jordan hopped excitedly and gave Papyrus a hug before turning to Jun.

“Yay! I get to wear it first.”

“No! He gave it to me!”

“Wait! Let’s go show it off to Jay and make her jealous!”

“Okay! But I get to wear it!”

As Papyrus walked towards the house he smiled to himself, happy to make new friends.

And Sans thought humans were dangerous….


	41. Reunited

Papyrus arrived at the entrance and rose his hand when an instinctual force held him back. Mistakenly interpreting the ominous sensation for nerves, he composed himself once again and brought forth a solid knock – at the same time a crash and a sharp cry was heard from inside.

Averting his manners, he burst through the door to witness Kevin leaning steeply over the sink with the faucet running. An upside down pot with spaghetti slowly sliding out from under it was strewn on the kitchen floor. A mixture of pleased and concerned – Papyrus calmed and shut the door gently.

“Papyrus!” Kevin’s face lit up and he ran to hug his boney friend. Accepting the hug as a challenge, the lanky skeleton squeezed back twice as hard only to have his friend surrender and gently push him away in confusion.

“Wait – what are you doing here?” The boy seemed flushed and embarrassed, his cheeks were burning red.

“OH I….JUST FELT YOU MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THE COMPANY OF A FRIEND AFTER YOUR ODD BEHAVIOR THIS MORNING.”

“But your brother….”

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT SANS – HE DOESN’T NEED TO KNOW.”

“Wait- he doesn’t know you’re here?”

Kevin stepped back, glancing briefly behind him as if the very mention of him would summon the stout skeleton.

Disappointed in his lack of tact, Papyrus attempted to rephrase.

“HE THINKS I’M OFF FOR MY MORNING JOG – WHICH USUALLY TAKES UNTIL THE LATE AFTERNOON – SO…EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY!”

Stepping quickly to the window blinds Kevin checked the premises as if Sans was going to be standing on his front lawn.

“Are you sure he isn’t looking for you?”

“OF COURSE!”

A quick sly grin slid across the teenagers face for a moment – or perhaps it was just a nervous tick?

“Well okay… I’m trusting you with my life on this. Don’t underestimate your brother.”

 

What a weird thing to say…fear makes one do odd things.

 

“I….DON’T BELIEVE I HAVE?”

Seemingly satisfied, Kevin walked softly back over to the kitchen – picking up the overturned pot and half-heartedly scooping the limp pasta back in before dumping it in the garbage. Turning shyly back to the skeleton, he gestured around to the messy kitchen and wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

“Want to help me start round two?”

Papyrus gleefully rampaged through the kitchen, tearing open the cabinets in search of items to add zest and flavor.

Kevin stood quietly over the sink, filling the pot again with water to boil. As packages of food and spices crashed and clanked behind him – a cringed smile escaped from his lips.

This was going to be easier than he thought.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            Running through the barrier, you felt your blood was electrified. Never in your life had you felt so powerful and commanding. Every color seemed brighter, every scent was stronger – and your mind was flushed with clarity.

            Find Papyrus.

            The urgency with which Sans had strained those words momentarily filled you with fear, but you quickly quelled that nonsense and tried to think.

            Find Papyrus.

            Just as the thought emphasized a second time you spotted Alphys and Undyne waving over at you from the table outside of a bagel shop. Your body coursing with urgency you blinked and in a moment you were standing in front of them.

            You teleported.

            Giddiness in your new abilities was drowned out by urgency as you took a seat next to them.

            “Whoa, Frisk!”

            “How the hell did you -”

            “There’s no time!” You slammed your fist on the table, shattering the glass into miniscule fragments. Apologetically, you slowly brought your hand back to your lap. Alphys shrunk in fear and confusion but Undyne leapt up, knocking her chair back and flipping the table over into the street.

            “Alright!!! What’s happening?! I like this new you!” Resisting the urge to smile, you focused on your mission.

            “Have either of you two seen Papyrus? Or know where he might be? This is an emergency, Sans could be in serious danger and I need his help.”

            Undyne’s smile faded but her intensity did not.

            Thinking for a moment she paced briefly back and forth, with every turn, stomping powerfully into the concrete sidewalk.

            Alphys slowly sat up in her chair and pushed her glasses back, clearing her throat carefully.

            “I – I installed cameras around the Aboveground, we can check the ones in our apartment hall and go from there to see where he is -”

            As she was pulling out a small screen from her pocket, Undyne picked her up – pride gleaming from her face.

            “Way to go Alphy! See!!! I told you invading other people’s privacy was going to pay off!”

            Frustrated, you pushed the two of them apart.

            “Please, we really don’t have any time for this.” Undyne nodded stoically and set her girlfriend down as Alphys blushed profusely and started searching on the screen. Within seconds she had pulled up a time schedule of the places Papyrus had gone.

            “He was in the hall…..then quickly left the apartment building….leaving the Aboveground….headed for the forest.” Alphys glanced up at you, embarrassed. “That’s….uh….unfortunately that’s all I have. I haven’t h-had time to place cameras in the woods yet.”

            Already up and running for the woods, you turned back towards them.

            “That’s okay! I know where he’s going!”

            Undyne stepped into the street, shouting after you.

            “Wait! Don’t you want us to come with you? We can help!”

            But you had already teleported deep into the woods. There was no time to spare explaining things.

 

            Suddenly arriving in the middle of a forest was jarring, and it took you a moment to adjust to your surroundings and figure out where you were. Your blood was pumping and the magic coursing through your body was writhing and twisting. Taking a moment to let the essence inside you guide your mind, you instinctually turned to your right and took off running, zapping forward occasionally until you almost had reached the edge of the woods.

            Less than ten feet in front of you was Sans.

            At first your heart skipped a beat and a smile broke over your face before you realized he was still under Gaster’s control. His back was to you, facing the village, with his hands held calmly behind his back.

            He seemed to be speaking to himself.

            You ducked behind a tree to think for a moment.

            He had so easily overtaken Sans – were you powerful enough to take him on?

            Your back against the tree, you slid down a bit. Examining your hands you allowed for a few sparks of red magic to swirl and roll into a fine point of energy.

            Although you were powerful you still had little idea in how to best control it.

            The magic evaporated with these thoughts and you decided your best bet would be to get to Papyrus first. The lanky skeleton had more power than he let on, and you would feel better with some help. Standing back up straight you prepared yourself to teleport to the village.

            “What’s your hurry?”

            You gasped, spinning around to find someone leaning against a tree opposite you. He somewhat resembled Sans but he was taller and some of his features seemed almost to be melting. His expression was one of both lust and skepticism and it was an extremely unpleasant experience to be on the receiving end of.

            Taking a few steps toward you, the skeleton hybrid paused almost reluctantly.

            “I don’t really have time for this…but is there something different about you?”

            Feeling uneasy but protected by the flush of crimson magic that had begun to surround you, you stepped forward a bit as well.

            “Sans?”

The skeleton chuckled, crossing his arms.

            “Not exactly. What are you doing here? Why do you seem more…purposeful?”

            Realizing what had happened between Sans and Gaster, you decided it was best not to risk your chances by reasoning with him. The confidence and power you felt encouraged you to focus on your goal. Get Papyrus. Separate this skeleton mess and save Sans.

            “Never mind what I’m doing here. Like you said – you don’t have time for it.” You managed a wink before you disappeared, reminding yourself that a part of Sans was still in there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            As the girl disappeared in a fiery flash, the morphed skeleton took a moment to reflect with himself.

            “Well. I can see why you like her.”  

            Then in a flash he too was gone.


	42. A Lost Moment

Chopping vegetables slowly and meticulously, Kevin spoke without looking up.

            “So Papyrus…I’ve wanted to ask you for a while…how can you be so optimistic about everything? With everything that has happened to you?”

            The lanky skeleton had piled everything he was going to use in his arms and had to strain around them to answer as he continued adding more to the pile.

            “WELL….UHM. I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT YOU MEAN?”

            Knifing through a tomato, Kevin closed his eyes in exasperation.

 

            Patience.

 

            He continued slicing.

            “Haven’t you been hurt before? Don’t you believe that after a while someone deserves punishment for the things they have done?”

            Papyrus emptied the massive pile of ingredients, many of which would not be remotely useful for making spaghetti, by the stove and leaned against the counter thinking.

            “WELL I SUPPOSE IF SOMEONE WAS TRULY EVIL THERE IS NO SAVING THEM – BUT I BELIEVE THAT REHABILITATION IS MORE USEFUL THAN PUNISHMENT.”

            “No…I…not from an enforcement or from a community standpoint – but personally. If someone hurt you, wouldn’t you want to hurt them back?”

            “WHAT? WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO HURT ME? WHAT DID I DO?”

            “No…that’s not the point. Say you didn’t do anything. They just hurt you. Wouldn’t you be angry? Wouldn’t you want revenge?”

            “IS THIS ABOUT SANS? BECAUSE AGAIN….I TRULY APOLOGIZE ON HIS BEHALF. HE IS JUST VERY PROTECTIVE AND SKEPTICAL.”

            Slamming the knife down, something inside of Kevin struggled for a moment to remain in control. Papyrus walked over to the sink, confused and concerned.

            “ARE YOU ANGRY AT HIM? I SUPPOSE YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE.”

            “This isn’t about me!”

Taking a deep breath, he started dicing the tomatoes smaller – as if it mattered. “You were stuck underground. Someone up here decided you were less than them, decided that you deserved less than them. They attacked your people when you just wanted peace. Doesn’t that make you angry?” He turned to face Papyrus, who had a wide innocent look in his eyes – full of contemplation.

            “NO IT JUST MAKES ME SAD. THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WE WERE LIKE, AND THEY WERE FEARFUL. IT WASN’T RIGHT AND IT WASN’T GOOD – BUT THEY WERE TRYING TO PROTECT EACH OTHER. LIKE HOW SANS PROTECTED ME. IT DOESN’T MEAN HE WAS RIGHT, BUT YOU CAN APPRECIATE WHY HE DID IT.” Papyrus analyzed Kevin’s expression, trying to comprehend where all of this was coming from.

            “ARE…YOU ANGRY WITH ME? I DON’T UNDERSTAND.”

            The teenager slammed the knife down again, this time breaking it. The lanky skeleton backed away, startled.

            “No. You don’t understand. I don’t know why I thought you could.”

            For a moment everything was still and the uneasiness Papyrus had felt upon entering had returned.

After a minute or so the human pulled another knife slowly out of the holder, running a finger along the end of it – causing Pap to cringe sympathetically.

            “You don’t understand pain. Not the way I do. Not the way Kevin does. You don’t understand suffering because you are so quick to forgive and explain away. You’ve never struggled with your internal demons until they rip you apart and become all you are.”

            Frozen in confusion and fear, Papyrus said nothing but backed into the corner as Kevin pressed his finger harder against the knife until a steady stream of blood began running down the knife and dripping on the floor.

            “PLEASE STOP DOING THAT.”

            “That’s it, isn’t it? Hurting you isn’t going to do anything because you are so forgiving. You love others with such a disgusting abundance it makes me sick. The others are loving in their own way but they are selfish with their trust, as they should be.” Flicking the bloody knife, the enraged spirit continued. “But you….this bothers you, doesn’t it?”

            He ran the knife firmly across his arm, slicing open a clean, deep cut – causing blood to spill over his arm, a thick reflective pool of red already gathering on the kitchen floor.

            Papyrus cringed and his breathing became erratic. He was horrified and fearful – completely unprepared for what was happening to his friend.

            “WHY…WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO YOURSELF?”

            “Because of you.”

            “WHAT?” The lanky skeleton felt guilt strike his soul so deeply, an emotion and a situation he so desperately wanted to understand but found he could not. He stepped forward, trying to help – or at the very least remove the knife from his friend’s dangerous hands.

            “Step back. Don’t you dare come near me or I’ll slit my own throat and you can live your life knowing you could’ve prevented this.”

            “I CAN HELP YOU, PLEASE I CAN HEAL YOU-”

            “No. You can’t help me anymore. You caused this. I don’t want to live anymore because of you.”

            “I..I’M SORRY. WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT DID I DO? PLEASE, I DON’T UNDERSTAND.”

            “You killed my brother. You told me we were friends and then you killed him. You pretended to be nice to me because you felt sorry for me – it was your own guilt you were trying to soothe. You are not forgiving, or generous, or kind. You are selfish. Just like me. And you are corrupted. Just like me.”

            Before the possessed boy could lunge another knife into his arm, Papyrus closed his eyes and shot up his hands – a burst of orange magic filling the room as the knife flung across the room and crashed out the window.

 

            A blank look of surprise crossed over Kevin’s face as Papyrus stepped over to him purposefully.

            “I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS TORTURING YOU, BUT YOU NEED HELP. AND I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY. I’M GOING TO HELP YOU BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU. THIS ISN’T ABOUT GUILT OR REVENGE – THIS IS BECAUSE…WELL…I LOVE YOU. AND I BELIEVE IN YOU.”

 

            For a moment, for a brief moment – something was shaken deep inside of Kevin’s body. Chara’s soul was genuinely touched by his words and for a split second Chara felt the foundation of everything they had done begin to crumble beneath Papyrus’ gentleness.

            Papyrus bent down slowly, his arms outstretched for a hug.

            Chara slowly reached back and grasped the second knife hidden in their back pocket.

            This is what they had waited for.

            This moment, to take over a being far more powerful than this pitiful human boy.

            Yet…something about the skeleton’s kind expression, his words and his outstretched arms seemed familiar. Something about this struck a rough chord within Chara and they almost collapsed inward….

            They would’ve - had they not glanced past Papyrus for a brief moment, spotting through the shattered window a glorious fight between Frisk and some skeleton monster, reminiscent of Sans.

 

            Papyrus turned, following the eye sight and sharply gasped – bolting towards the door.

 

            He left.

            They always did.

            Taking a deep breath, Chara regained control, shoving what pieces of Kevin had started to rise back down.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

            Appearing suddenly in the village clearing, you allowed for your magic to sense for Papyrus – almost instantly you felt his presence in the cottage ahead of you.

            But before you could start running, you heard an electric zap like lightning behind you and the skeleton hybrid was standing there, smug and amused from your expression.

            “You didn’t really think we were just going to wait back there, did you?”

            Crossing your arms, you hid your urge to smile.

            “You’re here to kill Kevin. You don’t understand what he’s been through-”

            “No, actually I don’t think YOU understand what he’s been through.”

            Taking a step forward, you were pleased to find surprise flourish in the hybrid’s eyes. You were tired of being the victim, being helpless and being pushed around. You were here to save Sans and Kevin and you weren’t about to let anyone stand in your way.

            “Oh really? Enlighten me then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            There was something about the way this girl spoke.

            The part of him that was Sans knew it well, and had started to break his personality away from Gaster – if Gaster wanted to remain in this form he would have to play along. Despite this, Gaster had to admit she was different. She had clearly obtained magic in some manner, and she had become a more significant threat because of it.

            The part of him that was Sans had other ideas for what her magic could be used for.

            This made cooperation difficult.

            “Oh really? Enlighten me then.”

 

            Sans wanted to kiss her.

            Gaster wanted to kill her.

 

            Instead they both summoned a shield of magic and began walking closer to her.

            “Please don’t make me hurt you. Just step aside and let us through to the house. This is how it has to be.”

            Frisk summoned magic of her own, red flames danced around her body and her hands.

 

            She looked beautiful.

            She looked deadly.

 

            “Oh really? I thought you didn’t have time for me.” She smiled smugly. Didn’t she know she was overpowered? That we could crush her like a bug?

 

            But we won’t.

            But we could.


	43. The Making of An Empty Vessel

Lunging with a warm shield of cyan magic, they tried to move her off her balance for a surprise attack.

           

            She’d never fall for it.

            What? Of course she would.

 

            Moving swiftly to the side she dodged the attack, hiding a sad smile and sliced through the side of their shield – dissolving it quickly.

 

            “I know how you think.” She spoke softly and tauntingly, straightening her posture and closing her eyes for a moment – the magic rushing up through her eyes until it spiraled around her like a pet snake.

            “I know what you want.” Her sparkling fiery eyes locked with his and a piece of him melted – imagining her naked in his arms, her eyes filled with the same passion as now. The other shook off a disgusted, overwhelming sensation of annoyance.

 

            Frozen by the uncooperative thoughts – the morphed skeleton threw up another shield, stiff as she walked confidently around it – gently placing one of her hands firmly on his.

            “I know you don’t want to fight me.” She gripped his hand tighter.

            “I know what you want to do to me….but you’re going to need to separate first.”

            In a flash her arm was twisted behind her in agonizing pain, the hybrid’s knee in her back as he leaned close to her and whispered,

            “You might know me. But you don’t know all of me.”

 

            Kicking back against him, Frisk freed herself and her smug composure had fallen.

 

            Jumping back, the hybrid shot flaming swords of twisted blue and green fires – allowing the magic to guide her she ducked and dodged every one flawlessly, each time getting closer as she outstretched her hand at them, concentrating profusely.

           

            The hybrid instantly felt a warm, crushing sensation inside of its head – an instigated headache of energy and blurriness. Unable to see, the skeleton pair stumbled briefly before taking a breath and listening around, siphoning a portion of magic to fixing their vision.

            They could hear running.

            In a blink the sight was back and the girl was gone.

 

            Both parts of him were relieved.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            As soon as he was blinded, you ran away instinctively – before your body, guided by magic, teleported you to the other side of the village.

            Ducking quickly behind one of the houses you caught your breath.

            You were terrified, but overtaking him had been easier than you imagined.

            Sans was still in there.

 

            Taking a quick look around the corner, you slid down the wall – thinking.

           

            He was going to find you any minute now, or he might skip right past you and kill Kevin….maybe even Papyrus.

            That was the priority here – you needed help.

            Glancing around until you found Kevin’s house, you concentrated every last drop of energy you could muster in that moment into protecting it. The draining of the your magic felt like life force flying out of you – and for a moment it felt as though the wind was kicked out of you – but that evil skeleton mess wouldn’t be able to enter it…for now.

           

            Coughing, falling onto your hands and knees you caught your breath and turned again to see Papyrus in the clearing, speaking to the hybrid.

            Alarmed and eager to reach him, but powerless to do more than lean weakly against the wall – you focused on regaining your strength.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/p>

 

            After what felt like ages, Danny had finally gotten entrance into his brother’s soul.

Danny barreled through it and fell inside – keeping quiet and restraining his thoughts as much as possible, feeling much like an intruder in an empty room.

What was different? What had allowed for his arrival?

            Focusing on what was happening in the real world, Danny saw Papyrus looking deeply concerned as a small mumur of thought bubbled in the back of the mind.

            The demon was occupied.

Then suddenly, Danny could feel Kevin’s presence.

Despite no words being spoken and no physical form being taken – complete thoughts were exchanged – feeling much like a conversation taken place in a dream.

            The first thoughts were ones of intense relief and comfort, then complex emotions surfaced as the brothers quietly exchanged condolences and concerns.

            Danny learned of the situation Kevin had been placed in, and of the demon’s goals.

           

            The rumble near the back of the mind then roared into a shaking and crumbling inferno, as Danny looked back up to see Papyrus running from the house.

            In a swift and painful thought, Danny and Kevin were pushed back down inside the mental prison Kevin had been kept in.

 

            Kevin was weak and miserable. His thoughts were cloudy and hopeless with fear for his friends.

 

            Danny was unsure how to help or how to console him.

 

            A thought bubbled reluctantly from Danny, and he kept it to himself the best he could. His younger brother picked up on this almost immediately and pressed for the truth. Pained, the eldest revealed what he knew.

            The only way they could destroy the demon from here.

            Kevin lit up instantly, his life possibly serving a purpose.

           

            Remembering what the specter in the afterlife had told him, Danny confided that he could throw Kevin’s soul into the darkness.

Kevin would be sacrificed, but there would be no escape for Chara.

            The eldest brother felt a knot tighten in his chest.

            There had to be a better way.

           

            But his younger brother responded softly that there wasn’t.

            The other option would be to be killed by one of the others – a situation which would force them to fight the very ones they were trying to protect, not to mention Kevin suffering even more pain in the process.

            And that way, the demon would still have time to slip into someone else or back into the afterlife.

 

            The boys were both silent for a moment, drifting in the heavy thought surrounding them both.

 

            Kevin remarked quietly that he knew today would be the day he would die.

 

            He just wanted it be a powerful exit, instead of a sniveling whimper.

            He didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore, and he embraced death compared to his current hell.

           

            A few moments passed deep inside Kevin’s mind – as outside the demon became frustrated, finding itself magically enclosed in the house – they both knew it was the perfect time.

 

            Taking another moment to feel his brothers presence, Danny lingered – feeling so much he wanted to express, regretting so many of his decisions that had led to this moment.

 

            Kevin consoled him with an optimistic thought, as usual.

 

            “Perhaps when I enter the darkness it won’t be the end. Maybe it’ll be a whole new place. A new adventure.”

            Danny had seen the darkness, and in his soul he knew the truth.

            There was no life in that emptiness.

           

            Taking a beat, he pictured his brother’s sacrifice while considering his own situations.

 

            There was no reason Kevin had to do it alone.

           

            After a stern goodbye, and a final exchange of sentiments – Danny slipped away, feeling his presence fade from his brother’s mind until suddenly he was floating above the darkness, his hands gripped tightly around the golden orb with a sharp crack through it.

 

            Easing himself down from floating, the dead human lowered until his foot was drifting barely above the surface.

 

            He hugged his brother one last time.


	44. An Empty Vessel

Bursting through the door, the lanky skeleton ran as fast as he could – his stomach filled with butterflies as he sped toward the magical meld of skeletons.

            It turned to face him and he was met with little surprise.

            “Ah, yes. Papyrus.”

            The voice was painful to listen to for Papyrus.

Memories swirled around in his head. Horrific images he hadn’t thought of in years flushed to the surface of his mind – fresh with new perspective. They felt so vivid and yet so distant. Like just waking up from a dream, it still felt real – but was it?

 

Had he done of all of this before?

 

Nervous and overwhelmed – Papyrus stumbled back for a moment, unsure of how to think. His mind was racing but he kept freezing and felt trapped, like all of his instincts were seizing up. That face had been burned into his mind for some reason.

And suddenly he remembered it was Sans.

Memories flooded into his mind of past encounters with this dripping mess.

Standing up a little taller, Papyrus prepared a bone attack and calmed the exhausting puzzles in his head.

 

“Papyrus we aren’t going to fight you. We can’t.” The hybrid walked calmly around him, pausing to gesture at the house. “There is a height of evil. A murderous spirit you’ve encountered before and it’s occupying that home. To be frank, I’m quite frustrated and part of me wants to just demolish the next creature that steps in our way. But there’s no need for any of this.”

Papyrus turned briefly to glance at the house they were pointing to.

Kevin’s house.

 

Speechless and once again horrified, Papyrus tried to pull himself together. Who to trust? How to know?

In a scarlet flash of lightning, Frisk was standing besides him, her hands glowing and her expression somber but determined. She looked stiffly over at Papyrus, searching his face.

They were in this together.

The hybrid let out an exasperated chuckle, one that grew more sinister as it lengthened. Clenching his fists, he rose slowly – a platform of magic lifting him as he shot a waterfall of magic, freezing both Frisk and Papyrus in their uncomfortable stances.

The hybrid landed tactfully on the ground behind the two, exhaling contentedly.

“I hope you eventually realize what a stupendous hindrance you’ve been to yourself. If I can’t squash the spirit of evil I hope it consumes you all. Now. If you’ll excuse me, the window of opportunity is slipping away.”

And with that it teleported outside of the house – because some source of magic was shielding it inside.

Boiling with fury, the skeleton struggled to hold itself together for the second time. One thought the situation was dire, but somewhat hilarious – the other began to recalculate his options.

At this point, the evil spirit had gained enough magic to be a genuine threat, even to Gaster himself. There was little chance of reaching the physical body in the new few minutes. A new plan had at be taken.

            Destroy the soul at its source.

           

Suddenly the ground imploded – and magic swirled with the dirt in the air. Released from the hold, Papyrus and Frisk collapsed to the ground, exchanged an anxious look and started running towards the smoky crater.

The pair reached the impact just as the smoke was clearing.

In the center of the crater was Sans, his hands on his head – shivering profusely.

 

Glancing once again at each other, Pap and Frisk raced to him, both of them tackled him tightly and hounded him with questions before slowly drifting off as they realized he was not responding.

He looked back and forth between them, speechless.

All three exchanged a look and for a moment said nothing.

Papyrus then stepped forward, quickly kneeling down to hug them both – so happy to feel that they were safe, that they knew what to do.

Pulling away softly, Frisk turned to Sans – looking him over before hugging the stout skeleton tightly, kissing him as a tear ran down her face. She was tenderly holding his face in her hands when the situation again pressed itself in her mind. Clearing her throat, she backed away, wiping her tears and considering their options.

“So, uh – what was that? What did he want with you – with Kevin?” Sans sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets, slowly looking over at the house.

“He has to die. Chara is controlling him and they’re extremely weak right now.”

Papyrus stiffened and Frisk paused blankly, thinking the sentence over and over again in her head. It was an awful thought… but she knew how it felt to be consumed by Chara and to ensure that nobody would have to endure it ever again?

It had to be done.

Determined, she nodded, confused and eager,

“Okay, so why aren’t we doing anything? I can’t image we have much time.”

Sans glanced guilty up at the both of them, seeing the fear and sympathy in his brother’s eyes.

“….I don’t know exactly how much longer we have – but Gaster had an idea right before we split. It was his last resort because he wasn’t sure he could survive the consequences again. It isn’t foolproof, but if he’s going through with it there is nothing we can do from here.” He knocked on the amber shimmering shield surrounding the house. “Because – your magic isn’t so accurate. Nothing can enter in or out while this remains.”

Papyrus sunk to his knees, feeling the consummation of his guilt and pain settle in his stomach.

Frisk knelt next to him, still hopped up on magic and adrenaline – looking over at Sans.

“I feel awful for stopping you both, I should’ve considered that Chara was back-”

“No, no it’s understandable. I didn’t know what was happening until he took control and trust me – his motives have not historically always been for the best.”

A soft breeze passed through as the trio again grew silent. Papyrus sniffled softly, his eyes filled with an uncharacteristic misery.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            Just as his toe had almost dipped into the silky blackness, there was an explosion of rage behind Danny. Spinning around, clutching his brother’s cracked soul tightly – he found that the specter had returned, and seemed surprised to find him there.

            In a flash the dripping figure was at his side.

            Chimes rang in the air and again letters appeared swiftly alongside.

            “Ah, I see you had come to the same conclusion.”

            The young boy shuffled midair, not feeling much for conversation before his death, but engaging regardless,

            “Yes…. I spoke to my brother and he wanted this….” Desperately, Danny hugged the orb tighter, “Is there no other way?”

            The specter took a moment before responding.

            “No. But you needn’t sacrifice yourself. If you place it in the darkness without letting your body touch it, it will sink on its own.” The plasma-like spirit paused before adding, “Just be careful about your hands.” As the specter raised its hands, Danny saw that two perfectly circular holes were pierced through them.”

            He shook his head solemnly.

            “I have to go with him.”

            Gaster said nothing for a moment.

            It was a stupid decision, a complete waste of potential.

            It was not his choice however.

            “Do as you wish. But there is no return from the darkness, and if you abandon your nerve even a second too late….” The mangled skeleton gestured to himself. “You may not survive entirely.”

            But Danny had already made up his mind.

            Lowering himself slowly again, his foot touched the tip of the darkness – which immediately began to crawl up his leg like spiraling, gelatin snakes. Closing his eyes, the human held his brother’s soul to his chest and plummeted himself downwards.

            The infinite goop swallowed him whole and then there was nothing more.

            The surface of it was as calm as if he had never existed.

           

            Gaster took a moment to reflect on the whole situation before moving on.

            As he gathered his thoughts and turned to venture further into the void – a sharp chord struck across the space.

            Facing the source of the noise, he discovered it was yet another orb hovering above the blackness.

            But it was empty.

           

            Gaster knew what this meant.

            He had prowled the afterlife for this very moment.

            At times, he had seen one at a great distance. It was incredibly rare as it required a magical intervention – death of the soul but not the body.

            It had always disappeared before he got a chance, but this time…

           

            On the other hand, he contemplated that he had no idea what limitations complete possession of a body would require…and with a puny human body there was so little he could achieve physically…

           

            But the temptations of experiencing and experimenting with life again drew him in until the decision was past him.

            With a gentle touch, the afterlife around him faded – and the sensation felt very much like waking up from an exhausting sleep.


	45. Second Chance

He was still.

Refusing to open his eyes, for fear that it had not worked – Gaster remained still in the darkness, eyes clenched tight.

Moments passed, and background noises slowly started to draw his interest.

Opening his eyes, Gaster found his vision fixated on the ceiling of a human dwelling.

His heart pounding….genuinely pounding…he sat up quickly, alert.

Had it truly worked?

Was this body entirely his?

Searching briefly he found no other occupants in his mind. He could no longer return to the afterlife at will. He had no outer sense of reality anymore, and his vision was fixed in stereoscopy…

But a human’s body?

Jumping to his feet, Gaster paced swiftly into each of the rooms until he found the restroom and flicked on the lights.

Startled by his reflection, Gaster leaned in closer and examined the young face which was now his. He had seen it before of course, but to suddenly possess it was another thing entirely.

The same gashes he had always had were scarred into his face.

After melding body and mind with Sans he knew of how it happened, and briefly considered the irony in such a fate.

He was mortal now.

Sliding down the wall, his mind racing he thought of a thousand implications.

He had omniscience and he gave it up for…a heartbeat?

A heartbeat.

Bringing a hand directly to his chest he listened to it for a moment, with each pump feeling considerably nostalgic and regretful.

 

But it was pointless to consider his irreversible actions.

He had a life now….he could finally continue his research…

 

Well.

That is, if it had survived through everything….

Picking himself back up, he stared in the mirror once more, trying to find something in the reflection. Some spark of recognition that this is now who he is.

Perhaps it will come with time, he halfheartedly assured, unconvinced.

Taking another brief second, he sighed and flicked the lights off – stepping briskly back into the front room, considering the situation he was in.

Would he be able to stay in this place? Be recognized by the others and mistaken for the monstrous spirit? Had Sans even known of his plan?

No.

He would have to leave. Start his life with nothing until he had a plan to reclaim his property. To stumble forward without perception would be senseless.

Glancing through the window he found the three of them still distracted outside, slowly standing up and beginning to regularly glance towards the house.

He had limited time to escape.

Stiffly walking to the furthest bedroom, he lifted the window and climbed through it – shutting it back again from the outside – before running into the woods as quietly as he could.

As soon as his feet left the grass they began to sting and he yelped, caught off guard. Looking down he saw small prickly vines sticking to his feet. Tearing them off carefully, he cursed his own forgetfulness of human anatomy. He had studied them before, he should have prepared for this.

The forest ahead of him was covered in those spikey bastards.

Considering for the first time the injuries already inflicted on his new body, Gaster realized he didn’t yet have the means to go off on his own. He could stay hidden, but he would need to heal himself. The foot pain had awakened his nervous system and almost as soon as he had accepted the transmissions an overflow of stimuli flushed him.

Nothing was bleeding at this point, but the internal bruises and cuts all over had a persistent sting to them.

Sighing, calculating his options, the newfound human climbed the nearest tree and peered at the three still out in front of the house.

He would wait for them to leave.

Acquire better clothing.

Find a temporary disinfectant and bandages, and then finally leave this place and search for a civilization a good distance away.

 

Almost immediately after settling into a position cushioned between two branches, he began to tap his foot impatiently as he watched three just stand around, talking.

Why were they taking so long?

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

            “Sans, but what if he’s in there and he’s alive –”

            “If what was supposed to happen, happened – there is no way he’s possibly alive –“

            “Okay, yes – exactly that – what if what was supposed to happen, didn’t happen?!”

            “Frisk we should leave. We all felt it. They’re all dead. He’s dead. Let’s just leave. We have no idea how long your force field is going to last….being meshed with….him….was exhausting and I –” Before Sans could finish his thought an electric zap echoed around the field, almost like a sparky bubble popping – and an empty void of magic filled the space.

            Glancing briefly at each other, both Sans and Frisk raced to the door and threw it open – running through the house frantically to discover no body, no semblance of anything other than a lot of bloody puddles in the kitchen.

            As Papyrus tenderly glanced in the door, his eyes lowered, but hopeful – the two again exchanged looks and sighed.

            “He’s…not here, Papyrus.”

Papyrus struggled with the words, and then hesitantly spoke.

“IS IT POSSIBLE HE’S SOMEWHERE ELSE? MAYBE…MAYBE HE WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE?” Scenes of Kevin cutting into his arm, eyes wide and fixated on the lanky skeleton weighed heavily on his mind.

Sans shook his head, stepping through the house once again before crossing through the front door to go outside.

“He wouldn’t have been able to escape. The energy shield kept everything with magic from crossing the borders.”

There was a moment of silence between the three of them as Frisk and Papyrus slowly exited the house, Papyrus pausing for a moment to look back at the kitchen before the thoughts overwhelmed him again. He shut the door quickly and froze, having trouble processing his lingering feelings of guilt and loss.

Frisk hugged him tightly and he smiled, faintly feeling his heart shift.

“He’s in a far better place than he was, Papyrus.” The skeleton nodded, wiping a tear and holding Frisk’s hand as they started walking.

Sans joined them solemnly, patting his brothers back gently as he walked on the other side.

The villagers, peering fearfully from their windows – watched as the oddities finally left their quiet home and disappeared into the forest.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As Gaster sat up in the tree, the gentle breeze and the distant chirping of birds awakened distant memories. He glanced down at his hands, flexing them and considering their strength. They were versatile at least, he would have to run some tests to truly see what they were capable of –

Just then, a sparking noise filled the air and brought him back from the realm of his thoughts. Gaster watched the abominable couple run into the house. With reserved excitement he watched to see the aftermath of his disappearance. Such simpletons.

But as soon as he was about to revel in his victory, a few words, uttered suddenly by that damn, stout skeleton sent the first sensation of fear Gaster had felt in a long time.

“He wouldn’t have been able to escape. The energy shield kept everything with magic from crossing the borders.”

No magic?

He had of course known that humans didn’t usually possess magic, but Gaster had believed his powers to be tied to his soul….surely they were metaphysical?

He feverously tried to summon a spark, anything to his fingertips but found nothing had come.

If the young boy had been consumed with magic before he died and it all had disappeared so quickly – then was magic bound by the soul or not?

Perhaps he had yet to find the way to tap into his magic?

Curious.

Setting himself another note, Gaster added to his list to research his situation. The simple facts were challenging….a lifetime without access to power? Hm.

Perhaps he should have felt more regret for this decision….

 

No. He corrected himself. Life is the greatest experiment and he was just beginning his second case study.

Sighing, he brushed the messy blonde hair from his face – struggling to stand by his philosophy.

It would take some getting used to.


	46. How Shocking

Walking quietly through the forest – the sunlight drifting faintly through the tree tops – you realized that you were finally free of the corrosive spirit that had haunted you for so long. With that, your mind began to wander through the past few weeks.

Had it even happened?

You felt sure that you could go home and pretend that you had always lived on the surface, free from torture both physical and emotional. You could easily push away thoughts of Danny and Kevin, as if they never existed….but you supposed that was the beauty of sacrifice.

To give life into their memory, you could never forget that the purpose of their mission, the intent of their inevitable destruction, was to speak to you. A love lost in an entangled series of time anomalies – and the two of them fought against the odds to speak to you.

You stole a glance at the skeleton brothers and noticed how emotionless Papyrus’ face was. His eyes, fixed on the furthest point, didn’t turn to meet yours. At first you wanted to console him, but the expression he bore was unlike any you had seen in him before. You decided it best to let him be with his thoughts.

Listening to the leaves crunch underfoot, you felt your insides twist a little.

Papyrus didn’t deserve this.

As you glanced over at Sans, he met your eyes immediately and shot you a small smile. Although his intent was to comfort, you could tell his thoughts were miles away as well.

Kicking the dirt a little as you walked, you considered everything.

The magic, still pulsing steadily through your veins sparked out of your fingertips as your thoughts escalated. You felt Sans slowly reach out and hold your hand still, rolling the magic back and forth between his index and thumb.

“Something on your mind?”

You couldn’t bring yourself to respond. There was too much to say and so few ways to express what you meant. You shrugged and glanced back at Papyrus, knowing that the past events had taken a much heavier toll on the gentle-hearted skeleton. He deserved a good day, after so much pain.

You could all use a good day.

Formulating a plan in your head, your gently pulled your hand away from Sans and sent Undyne a text message.

Sliding your phone back in your pocket, you took a deep breath. Everything wasn’t going to go back to normal immediately – but you couldn’t stand seeing Pap so miserable.

And if anyone knew how to force some cheer, it was Undyne.

 

 

As the three of you made your way back into the city, you were surprised to see Undyne and Alphys waiting outside of the apartment complex already.

Undyne stepped toward Papyrus heavily as the three of you approached the couple and drew him into a deep hug. Unlike her usual torso-crushing hugs, this was one of compassion and gentle consideration. Surprised by the force with which she clearly cared for him – the lanky skeleton twisted his face a few times, trying desperately not to cry. After a minute or so, she saw this and spoke quietly to him, taking him aside from the group to sit on a bench nearby.

Alphys cleared her throat, drawing your attention away from the two of them as she started feverously speaking to you and Sans.

“Now that the Ch-Chara situation is finally over with, there is a lot that the two of you can start helping us with.” Turning to pull out two stacks of papers from her saddlebag, she handed one to Sans and one to you, “These are a debriefing of the problems we’ve faced since establishing the Aboveground, and a lot of them have to do with human relations. Frisk, I was hoping once you recovered from the events of the past few weeks you could start a dialogue with the local representatives–”

“I’m sorry, but is can all of this wait until tomorrow morning, Alphys? A lot has happened and I don’t really think I can process anything of that level for a while. I need time to think.” Embarassed, Alphys reached to grab the papers back – her face red as she stammered out an apology.

“I’m….I’m so in-in-credibly sorry, I didn’t con-consider it. You must think I’m st-st-stone hearted.” Sighing you pulled her into a hug.

“It’s not that, I didn’t mean to be blunt about it I…I just have a lot on my mind. We would love to help you. We’ll read over everything and talk about it soon, we just might need to some time, okay?”

Cheeks still red, though looking more comforted, Alphys nodded and adjusted her glasses. “Of course. Is there anything I can do to help you? I felt that perhaps a distraction would help your grieving but I hadn’t considered how overwhelming it might be…” Her eyes lit up, “Perhaps we could go away for the night? Research suggests a change in environment is beneficial to relieving stress.”

You pictured going to sleep in the apartment for the night, just a cold, empty apartment with fresh memories of Kevin alive only last night.

Maybe a night away was exactly what you needed.

Undyne called from the corner, her arm around Papyrus as he cried into her shoulder.

“We should go camping! There’s this absolutely amazing gigantic river that passes just around the mountain. Plenty of room for a campsite and sparring practice along the bank.” Alphys nodded excitedly, eager to help improve your situation. Glancing back at Papyrus, you saw a spark of curiosity and hopefulness light in his expression.

“Of course, that sounds perfect.” You turned to Sans, who, from his expression had also been concerned with his brother’s overt misery, “What do you think?”

Upon your questioning, he broke into a wide smile, sticking his hands into his pockets.

“Camping? I dunno. Sounds a little too _in tents_ for me.”

Papyrus groaned, a reluctant smile breaking through his tear-soaked face.

You turned back to Alphys, feeling tired from the events of the day, but eager to distract yourself. “We would love to. Give us an hour or so to throw some bags together and we’ll meet back up in the lobby.”

 

 

With your pack slung across your back you stepped through the forest with your friends, the conversation light and airy for the first time in what felt like forever.

Papyrus and Undyne were playing catch with a bowling-ball sized rock, diving to catch it through the thin, high grass surrounding the mountain base. Their laughter and light hearted challenges lifted your spirits and set the tone for the evening. Alphys kept close behind them, taking pictures of the fauna with her phone, updating her blog with every new discovery.

Trailing a little behind her, you and Sans enjoyed a private walk together.

“So….what was it like? Being meshed together with him?” He reflected for a moment, taking the opportunity to reach out and hold your hand as you both crossed over a small brook.

“It was my thoughts and actions but…as if someone was editing them. Organizing my thoughts into determined usefulness, restraining my emotions if deemed unacceptable…everything felt stunted and stressful.” He paused, looking up at you with clear admiration, his boney fingers gently rubbing the back of your hand, summoning some of your magic.

“But there were thoughts that came through uninhibited...”

Pulling away, you considered what that meant,

“Wait….did you think of me naked when you were sharing a mind with that thing?”

Sans stopped walking, his face guilty.

Embarrassed, you playfully rolled your eyes, walking past him blushing profusely. He chuckled and caught up with you, gently grabbing your hand.

“I couldn’t help it….I felt how…electric you were.” He rubbed your hand again, feeling the magic spark into his. “I’ve never felt anything quite like this….and watching you battle?” He exhaled, eyes closed – a sneaky smile on his face. After a moment he opened his eyes, an idea crossing his mind. Flashing you a smile, he squeezed your hand tighter,

“You wanna spar once we get to the campsite?”

Blushing again, you remember how you felt teasing him during the battle earlier.  

There was something breathless and exhilarating about it….

“I don’t know…we’ll see.” You brushed a few strands of hair behind your ear and smiled. Satisfied, Sans couldn’t hold back a small smile as you both walked forward, watching Papyrus tackle Undyne to the ground and ineffectively attempt to wrestle the rock away from her.

As you were laughing and watching Undyne lift the rock back up – with Papyrus hanging on – you felt Sans squeezing your hand tighter. Turning to look at him, you caught his expression and felt your heart pang. Blushing, you locked eyes with him.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ever since he saw her in battle, Sans had felt an unquenchable desire like he never had before.

He felt himself break out into a sweat just thinking about her standing there, energy flaming in her hands as she locked eyes with him, so deadly and beautiful….

As he walked through the forest, gently massaging her hand and feeling chills run his spine every time her magic coursed through this veins – he proposed sparring at the campsite. He was desperate to get a taste of her strength and her power.

She smiled and considered to herself before she responded.

“I don’t know…we’ll see.”

The sun, finally dipping at the fold of the sky, broke through the shade of the trees like shards of orange light through glass – lighting up her face angelically as she tucked her hair.

So overwhelmed by his feelings and her gentle, powerful nature, Sans could only hold back a smile as her gaze drifted to watch his brother and Undyne wrestle over their rock. Watching her face as she smiled and laughed, he unconsciously squeezed her hand tighter – entranced by her happiness. Responding to his squeeze, she suddenly looked him square in the eye.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

In that moment, Sans felt himself unable to resist any longer – pulling you into a sparking, heavy kiss. The warmth of the kiss erupted into electric sparks as the two of you were thrown apart, lips still stinging from the shock. For a moment, you both sat up silently – caught off guard and surprised by the power of your interaction.

Then all at once you both erupted into laughter.

Getting the air back into your chest, you coughed a bit through your laughter – watching him hop onto his feet.

In a flash he was standing above you, offering his arm to you with an exaggerated gentlemanly expression. Heart racing, you felt the magic flooding your body – so eager to be with him.

Glancing through the branches in the overgrown rose bush you had been thrown behind – you could just make out the others, still fixated on their game of catch and blog updates.

You bit your lip and considered.

Turning back, he gestured his hand again.

Heart thumping, elation reaching a level you desperately needed after everything you had endured – you grabbed tight onto his arm. He flashed a smile as you giggled, pulling him down beside you.

 

 

 


End file.
